Chris

November 5, 2011 by Chris

Another Version of the Christmas Ten Commandments

Thou shalt remember to keep Christ in Christmas.
Thou shalt pause “in thy business to consider the magnitude of God’s gift of Christ to mankind.
Remembering that Mary and Joseph “found no room in the inn”, thou shalt give Christ the chief room in thy heart.
Thou shalt participate in the Christmas activities sponsored by thy church.
Thou shalt be generous in thy gifts to foreign missions at Christmas.
Thou shalt take time to plan for the happiness of those outside your own circle of family and friends.
Thou shalt enjoy, in unhurried calm, the priceless heritage of Christmas music which exalts the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thou shalt give of thyself in all gifts, giving. not for duty, for reciprocity, or personal satisfaction, but for the simple joy of sharing.
Thou shalt remember, with great patience and understanding, all those who serve thee: the salesclerk, the postman, the delivery man, and all the others who bear the physical burden of the holiday season.
Thou shalt teach thy children the true meaning of Christmas, of the Prince of Peace, who came to give mankind a way to righteousness and true lasting happiness.

Source unkown

November 3, 2011 by Chris

Christmas Carol Mix Up Party Game

How to play:

Make a list Christmas Carols and other popular songs. A sample list is below. Remove the funny song titles.
Break your group into teams.
Give one team a portion of the song titles.
Each team is to take the song titles and reword it using similar language. Examples are below.
The teams take turn reading the funny title and the other team must guess the original title.

Variant:

Make some flash cards with the following funny song titles.

Give teams with a buzzer or something so that teams compete to guess the first correct title, a la Jeopardy. The first team to hit the buzzer must give the right answer or the other teams can buzz to guess.

The group leader reads the funny title and the teams compete to be the first group to guess the correct one.

Reworded Christmas Songs:

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas – Experience a Joyous Tiny December 25^th

O Holy Night – Oh Sacred Evening

Santa Claus is Coming to Town – A Jolly Man in a Red Suit is Arriving in Our Place of Residence

Jingle Bell Rock – Tinkling Chime Groove

All I Want for Christmas Is You – Everything I Hope for the Birth Day of Jesus is the 21st Letter of the Alphabet

Joy to the World – Bliss for the Planet

Christmas Time is Here – December 25th Has Arrived

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer – Bambi with a Clown Nose

Frosty the Snowman – Chilly the Frozen Water Guy

Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer – Mom’s Mother Got Trampled by a Sleigh Puller

Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree – Dancing Circles Near the December 25th Shrubbery

Brainstorm other Christmas Carols to add to this list.

Source: Funny Titles above were found online.

November 2, 2011 by Chris

Charades Christmas Party Game for Church Groups

This Christmas party game is a classic game of Charades that can easily be adapted to a christmas party for your church.

The only preparation or modification you need to make for younger players is in the selection of simpler one word topics.

Christmas Party Charades for Children:

Select a few simple Christmas words and phrases for the children to act out.
Have every one of children sit on the floor while one child stands in front.
Whisper to the child what Christmas word he or she is to mime and let the other children guess.
Once the correct answer is guessed a new actor is selected and play continues.

Christmas Party Charades for Older Children:

Have them Brainstorm a list of 10-15 Christmas topics that the other team will perform.
Screen and sort the two groups of christmas themed topics for 3 levels of difficulty.
Assign a higher point value for the most difficult christmas themes. This is a game of points for the teams!
Then break the youth or middle schoolers into teams.
Each team then selects the desired difficulty level and the volunteer draws a topic from the stack that the other group made.
One player tries to act out the Christmas themed clue for his or her team to guess.
There is no stealing because the opposing teams created the clues. At the end of play, the team with the most points wins.

Variations

Use Christmas Carols as a category instead of broad Christmas party topics.
Use Christmas events from Scriptures as a choice of topics. Some of the scenes can be broken into further scenes. Be sure that if you have people familiar with the bible scattered among the teams. Discuss any insights that might arise from these Christmas charades.

For a ebook resource of over 200 Christmas party games for your Church group (with discussion guides), get yours here.

November 1, 2011 by Chris

Review: Creative Christmas Party Game Ideas for Youth Groups

I bought my own copy of Creative Youth Ideas Christmas Party Games, and so I’ll be reviewing what it is and what I got.

I’ll review the whole ebook of Christmas Party Games and tell you my thoughts about how it might help you in your Youth Ministry or Young Adult Ministry at your church.

Who is this Christmas Party Game resource for?

Flipping through several of these pages, I am sure that we will be using some of them later this year.

While the Collection of Christmas Party Games is clearly aimed at the church youth group market (youth pastors, middle school leaders, church volunteers), several of these games would be good ice breakers and discussion starters for adults at their Christmas parties.

For example, perhaps your church small groups are planning Christmas party games to help break the conversational ice among potential first time visitors.

Several of these Christmas party game icebreakers would be low key enough for adults to help develop relationships and get the ball going on helping people think about where they want to grow spiritually.

Perhaps you are hosting a Christmas party game night for your neighbor. Several of these party games for Christmas would fit the bill and provide with a way to help bring forth a Christmas conversation that shares Christ.

Read here for an example of a Christmas Party Game that opens a spiritual discussion.

What comes in the Christmas Party Game Ebook?

This 370+ page ebook would be a perfect help for someone looking for fresh and creative ideas for Christmas parties games for their youth group or young adult outreaches.

You get instant access to over 200

Icebreakers
Games
Object Lessons
Devotions
Illustrations
Humor
and Worksheets

These party games for Christmas have suggested locations (indoors, outdoors, field, table, etc) and suggested energy levels (laid back, sits down, or high energy, as examples).

He provides you a list of resources that you will need to play this Christmas party game.

Then the writer gives you clear directions for the leader what to do.

Several have variations on the theme game.

Many have some potential talking points to break the ice, dig deep, and open ways to talk about the meaning of Christmas.

Read here for an example of a Christmas Party Game that opens a spiritual discussion.

Why an ebook of Christmas Party Games?

Candy Cane Games for Christmas Parties I had a box of candy canes.

I figured I could play a party game with Christmas candy canes.

I was in an office building, away from my collection of books. Could I find a Christmas party game involving candy canes with my resource books being in another place?

The thought of manually searching for Candy Cane Christmas games through all my books gathered over the years did not appeal to me.

Been there. Done that.

I wanted an ebook format to help me scan through the 200+ ideas for Christmas parties. Open up the book and search for candy canes (I found 8 games right away – no need to open a single book to search for christmas candy cane party games.)

This Christmas Party Idea Ebook (order yours here) is

Instantly Searchable (do That with a real book).
Even if I search my laptop hard drive for “candy cane” I’ll find this ebook.
On my laptop or, phone, or anywhere else I have a PDF reader.
No space on my crowded book shelf.
No pages to curl or dog ear.
Imagine a 337 page brick taking up space to use it 1 month a year.
No shipping costs – download instantly
Conversational talking points about Christmas- no cheesy websites with stupid Christmas graphics
I can print the game I want, not bend the spine of a physical book to make a copy for my leaders.

Order your copy of Creative Youth Group Ideas for Christmas

You can buy your own copy of the Creative Youth Ideas Christmas Collection online right here. These links will take you to the sales page where you can find the Add to Cart Button.

Use my link and the author will pitch me back a thank you.

I own my own copy and think you’ll benefit from it.

As of this writing, it’s priced just under $25 USD.

October 31, 2011 by Chris

Christmas Ten Commandments

1. Thou shalt prepare early. Don’t wait until the last minute to get into the Christmas spirit.

2. Thou shalt keep Christ at the center of Christmas. Don’t allow yourself to be overwhelmed by the commercialism of the season. Resolve to read one of the Gospels during December. Mediate upon what it means that Christ came into the world.

3. Thou shalt make Christmas a family time. Do things together: Decorate the tree, play games, bake cookies, shop, write cards, have devotionals, go caroling, attend church together.

4. Thou shalt remember those who are less fortunate. Contribute significantly to an organization serving the needs of others throughout the year. Give a Christmas gift to your church.

5. Thou shalt give thyself with every gift. Put some thought into the gifts you purchase. Give a gift that represents you. If possible, make something instead of buying something.

6. Thou shalt learn to be a good receiver. Many of us have trouble receiving graciously and gracefully.

7. Thou shalt put music into Christmas. Buy several Christmas CD’s and play them again and again. Attend church choir cantatas and special Christmas programs. Sing carols with loved ones.

8. Thou shalt slow down. Remember: Christmas is supposed to be a season of peace, not hypertension.

9. Thou shalt remember to worship. The church is the place you are most likely to be reminded of the true meaning of Christmas.

10. Thou shalt receive Christ into thy life. Don’t just talk about the Christ of Christmas, receive him into your life as Lord and Savior.

–Author Unknown

October 30, 2011 by Chris

Balloon Pop Christmas Party Game

Ready to play the Christmas Story Balloon Pop Game?

Everyone loves balloons games! Kids have fun popping them, and I’ve seen adults get pleasure out of the such noise.

Not to mention balloons instantly brighten up stale and church fellowship hall.

So why not have as much fun with them as you possibly can at your Christmas Party?

Preparation:

Like most balloon games, you will need to put something inside the balloons before you blow them up.
Write a scene from the Christmas Stories in the gospels on slips of paper and then put the strips inside of balloons.
Blow up the balloons.
Spread the balloons in the floor, or put them in a large box, garbage bag.
Even tape them on the walls as decorations.

To play the Balloon Pop Christmas Party Game

Allow each player or team to select a balloon to burst (using a stick pin or safety pin).
Have them improvise the scene from the Christmas story without telling nor with words.
The other teams need to guess what scene it is.
Then have them read aloud from the Scriptures the Christmas story.

Discuss

Consider one or two of the Bible stories and discuss them with your group. Search ahead of time online for some possible discussion questions to help connect the game to the the persons spiritual life.

For my review of a ebook resource of over 200 Christmas party games for your Church group (with some possible discussion guides), get yours here.