Love Packed Up Into a Relief Society Christmas Dinner

It’s difficult for pictures to portray all the love that went into our Relief Society Christmas dinner this year. My “calling” (where I serve at church) is still with the Relief Society sisters leading the activity committee. We always have a Christmas dinner, one that hopefully gets you in the Christmas spirit and also one that will help you find strength in gathering with other women, both in and hopefully out of our faith too. Oh there is so much power in women gathering together! As I looked around at those women that evening, all lit up by candlelight, I felt so lucky to be right there in their midst. Ones who were strangers but have become friends as we serve together and muddle through life together.

Seek Him

As a committee we came up with the theme “Seek Him,” because really, He “reaches our reaching” as the hymn lyrics go, and we all need to be reached!

And I love thinking of the shepherds and wise men truly “seeking” that Christ child all those years ago. I love that we can seek Him too. There can be so much beauty even in the darkest parts of life when we “find” Him.

“Beauty for Ashes.”

Seeking to Feel the Christmas Spirit with the Relief Society

Anyway, we really wanted to make this dinner something worthwhile for the women to leave their busy Christmas lives and come and just breathe together for an hour or so one Christmas night.

So this is what we did.

We got asked some speakers to prepare some thoughts about seeking Him. We gathered nativities, and organized food. That sounds all simple and wrapped up in a bow, but man, there was so much coordinating and pondering going on.

We prayed that the spirit would be there and that people would hear and feel what they may be seeking that night.

We set everything up in the yard of one of the ladies in our ward who was so gracious to let us gather there.

Only part of the activity committee happened to be there for that BeReal, I wish we had a pic of everyone!

We were pretty intentional about what we put on the tables.

We gathered nativities from the ladies in the ward and put one at each.

My friend also made up little card nativities. See the “wiseman” on the right of the right picture above? Each table had one of the nativity characters represented. I’ll explain why in a minute.

Each plate had a candy cane (we got these big fat ones from Trader Joes) for the women to take home to symbolize not only how we can seek Jesus as the shepherds did, but that we can seek each other too, and “bring them in” with our “canes” of friendship. I love the symbol of a candy cane!

How the evening unfolded

After dinner and visiting, I introduced the theme and then our three speakers shared some experiences as to when they have sought to have more Jesus in their lives. And also how when they did so, how they were able to reach out to others more as well. When we “find” Jesus we can’t but help to love the people around us more. These were each super short, like five minutes each, but filled with such good thoughts and stories.

Michelle Moyer (one of my favorites who’s mother happens to be in our ward), sang to us, her voice floating over the whole scene and blanketing us with the spirit. She sang a song called “Make Room” and it was so beautiful.

My mom happened to be in town (my Dad had a tennis tournament here, more about that soon!) and when my neighbor dropped by the night before, knowing I had been really trying to make this night special, she had the great idea my mom should speak too. Oh and I was SO glad she was willing to share her testimony at the end. My mother’s testimony is something that strengthened me my whole life. During our Family Testimony meetings on fast Sundays she would stand and cry about her love for Jesus. I think it changed my heart.

What she shared at our Relief Society Christmas dinner was so beautiful and perfect for wrapping up.

Pieces of the Nativity to Mix things Up

Ok, back to the nativity pieces at each table. My friend made a little stack of nativity pieces that each person got at the table. I took a picture of them after because I loved them so much. Did I mention she MADE these? She drew each of them. I love them!

Anyway, the idea was for everyone to take their card with their specific nativity piece pictured, get their dessert, and find a new table that was designated to that “character.” So all the “Marys” would go to the table with Mary highlighted, all the “wise men” would go to the table pictured above, etc. The idea was for this to shuffle things and help people meet other people they may not have naturally sat by when they arrived for dinner.

It was a great idea in theory and some people did it, but most just tried to get warm by the fire.

…which was ALSO a great way to shuffle up…maybe even better. I didn’t get a picture until too late, but you kind of get the idea up there.

So grateful for Michelle who brought in such a beautiful spirit. I talked about her because of one of my fav. Christmas videos I shared years ago, where she sings “Silent Night.” SO good!

One more picture of the candy cane.

I hope everyone left carrying a little more of the spirit of Christmas with them. As well as a feeling of a little more belonging. And how that belonging comes when we seek Jesus, and also seek each other.