In many churches, cookie exchanges and Christmas banquets are being canceled this year due to social-distancing requirements.
With so many restrictions in place and many women not ready to return to in-person events yet, it could be tempting to cancel your women’s ministry Christmas events this year.
Canceling women’s ministry Christmas events would leave many women without the opportunity to celebrate our Savior’s birth with their sisters in Christ.
Social distancing may provide an obstacle, but let’s ask God to show us the opportunity it provides.
Everyone knows and understands that Christmas events and activities this year will be different.
This year we have the opportunity to rethink and restructure our traditional women’s ministry Christmas plans.
We have the chance to do something new and something fresh.
Now, more than ever, our women need hope! We can offer the gift of hope through this year’s Christmas celebration – even if it must be done at a distance.
In this post, you’ll find ideas for indoor, outdoor, and online Christmas events.
As you plan the details, be sure to include these three things:
- The opportunity for women to gather
- A time for women to connect
- A focus on Christ
No matter your specific situation, you’ll find an idea that can be adapted for the women in your church and community.
In-person Outdoor Christmas Ideas
Depending on your location, you may need to provide heat or shelter to keep your women warm. Mark and space out seating options if your area or church requires. Please be sure you follow any other procedures your church requires – masks, hand sanitizer, etc.
1. Bonfires
If you live in a location that will likely be chilly or even cold outdoors in late November or early December, you’ll need a source of heat. Bonfires are inviting and fun!
Set up a station with pre-packaged smores supplies. Invite someone to play the guitar as you all sing Christmas carols (print out songbooks for each person). Ask a woman to share her testimony or a Christmas message fireside (if your group is big, use a microphone and speakers so all can hear).
2. Drive-up Drop-offs
Many women’s ministry groups provide opportunities for women to participate in service projects such as gift collections for Christmas. Create an online sign-up form instead of, or in addition to, a giving tree in the church lobby.
When women drive up to drop off their donation, hand them a Christmas bag of goodies – maybe an ornament with your women’s ministry theme verse or a devotional book.
3. Christmas Carol Sing-along
Invite your women to sing Christmas carols in your church parking lot at a safe distance. Offer hot chocolate and songbooks to keep everyone warm and singing the right words.
4. Christ-focused Christmas Light Scavenger Hunt
Meet at the church to receive instructions and provide prizes for the teams who find the most items on the list. Click here for a free printable Christ-focused Christmas Light Scavenger Hunt.
If your church currently meets in person, invite your women to carpool with women in their small group or Bible study. If your church is not meeting, talk with the pastoral staff about offering this as a family and friends event.
5. Create Christmas Crafts
If your climate allows, pre-package craft supplies and set them at individual work stations. Be sure to schedule it for the warmest part of the day.
Wreath-making classes have been known to be quite popular!
In-person Indoor Christmas Ideas
Even if churches in your area are meeting again, you’ll want to exercise caution and emphasize safety so as many women as possible will feel comfortable attending.
- Consider offering events twice if your group is large, but the space is small.
- Pre-package food, order boxed meals from a restaurant, or provide gloved and masked servers.
- Limit movement around the room as much as possible.
1. Christmas breakfast
Pre-package Christmas breakfasts (muffin, yogurt, fresh fruit cup) in plastic containers for easy and safe serving. Reduce your seating to no more than 4 per table. Invite a speaker or missionary to share a Christmas message with your group.
If your group is large and space is limited, offer the event twice – once on Saturday morning and early on Sunday morning before worship begins.
2. Invite women to be still
Simply Still is a Christmas event ideas featured on the Revive Our Hearts website.
In the midst of the busy, it invites women to reflect on Christ’s birth. You’ll find all the details here.
3. Assemble a small team for reader’s theater
Reader’s theater (with microphones) allows your women to socially-distance on stage while presenting a special Christmas message.
Check out the Christmas reader’s theater scripts on the Skit Guy’s website here.
4. Christmas Crafts
Recruit your craftiest women to offer a Christmas-themed craft workshop (give women a choice of two if you have space). If the craft will make a great gift, you may want to offer the option to make two – one to keep and one to give away.
5. Host a Christmas Movie Night
Pre-select a Christmas movie and set up pre-packaged movie snacks. This one requires minimal prep work.
6. Host a Gingerbread House Competition
In advance, recruit 4 women (or teams of two) to decorate a gingerbread house in less than 15 minutes on the stage – similar to a Food Network bake-off competition, but with boxed gingerbread house kits. After the fun is done, invite a woman to share a Christmas-themed devotional.
Online Christmas Ideas
If your church does not allow in-person events and activities at this time, create something fun online your women can attend.
1. Christmas game night
Select games that can be played virtually. Need ideas? See the list on my Virtual Game Night post. If possible, send a small gift such as a $5 gift card to each winner or invite them to drop by the church to pick up a small prize.
You can also adapt many of the Christmas icebreaker games featured on my site here.
2. Create an in-house Christmas scavenger hunt.
Give women two minutes to find and bring back an ornament that is more than 20 years old, something that is red and white striped, a baby Jesus, a stocking, a wrapped present, a Christmas card from another state, etc.
3. Host a Christian Book Swap
Invite women to give the gift one of their favorite Christian books. Enlist one woman to serve as the list keeper and randomly assign a name and address to each participant. Be sure to communicate if the books may be gently used or if they need to be new.
Host an online reveal party where women show what books they received and allow everyone to guess the gifter’s identity.
4. Show & Tell Christmas mementos
Ask women to bring a Christmas item that has special meaning to your Zoom meeting. Give each woman 2-3 minutes to share the story and the object.
5. Sing Christmas carols together
Search YouTube for Christmas songs with the words on the screen and use the screen-share feature. Make sure you remind everyone to unmute their microphones.
Mix things up with game, testimony, or Scripture readings between songs.
6. Host a Christmas book club
Select a fiction or non-fiction Christmas book for your group to read and then meet via Zoom to discuss.
I’d love to recommend Mary’s Son: A Tale of Christmas and Christmas at Harrington’s (affiliate links).
As the days get colder and darker, a women’s ministry Christmas event can provide hope in the midst of hard Christmas season.
Let us know in the comments how you’ll be celebrating this Christmas season with the women at your church.
You may also want to read:
My Favorite Christmas Icebreaker Games
Why I Don’t Do White Elephant or Dirty Santa Games
How to Share a Devotional
One year ago: How to Know If it’s Time to Let Go of a Women’s Ministry Tradition
Two years ago: The Solution to Your Retreat Planning Struggles
Three years ago: How Your Women’s Ministry Can Get Involved With Operation Christmas Child
Four years ago: Christmas Icebreaker: Pick a Side
Five years ago: 13 Ways to Publicize Your Event Inside Your Church
Six years ago: Women’s Ministry Door Prize Idea
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