The Christmas season will soon be upon us! Youth ministry Christmas parties are the best. In talking with my youth leaders, I have come up with some creative ideas I’d like to share with you that will make your Christmas parties fun and enjoyable for your students. I hope there is something on this list that you will try this year!
1. Pajama Party
Have your students come to a Christmas party dressed in their most festive pajamas. Serve hot chocolate to create a cozy atmosphere!
2. Be Festive
Decorate the room with tons of red and green balloons. Festive decorations add so much to a Christmas party’s atmosphere.
3. It’s All about the Menu
A good Christmas party must have food! Snacks and crock pot food are simple. Have students bring finger foods to share. Of course, desserts such as Christmas-themed cookies will add a nice touch to the proceedings.
4. Have Fun
Try this: Create a plastic wrap ball of prizes and give each student so many seconds to attempt to unwrap the ball. Pass it around the circle until it is unwrapped, with the biggest prize being in the middle. To make this even harder for the students, have them wear oven mitts while trying to unwrap the ball!
5. Switch Up the Location
Try a progressive Christmas dinner: Start at one home for appetizers, move to another home for the main course, and then go to a third home for dessert. Play a Christmas game at each stop to keep things lively!
6. Get Students Involved
Try this: Have the students make a Christmas commercial with their phones before the party, then watch the hilarious results as a group.
7. Create a Competition
A gingerbread house competition among small groups is a creative (and delicious) way to keep the fun going!
8. Go and See Some Lights
Take a trip as a group to go and see Christmas lights (if there are any displays in your area). Finish off the night by doing some shopping for family and friends.
9. Beat the Cold with a Bonfire
Hold a bonfire at the beginning of the Christmas season and have some students share their testimonies. Invite parents to be involved. Sing some hymns around the fire. It will be a night to remember.
10. Try a New Game
Try “Christmas Outburst” on for size. Here’s how you play: For each round, there is a Christmas topic. You can play digitally (using PowerPoint) or use a white board if you want to add a visual element. Below each topic is 10 spaces – a “Top 10” list, if you will. Students will be challenged to name each of the Top 10 answers to each topic in less than a minute.
Below are some special Christmas-themed ideas for topics.
10 Christmas Movies
- Home Alone
- The Nativity Story
- It’s a Wonderful Life
- Elf
- National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
- The Grinch That Stole Christmas
- A Christmas Carol
- The Santa Clause
- The Christmas Story
- The Christmas Shoes
10 Christmas Carols
- Away in a Manger
- O Little Town of Bethlehem
- O Come All Ye Faithful
- God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
- Silent Night
- We Three Kings
- O Holy Night
- Joy to the World
- Little Drummer Boy
- Hark the Herald Angels Sing
10 Christmas Decorations
- Boughs of Holly
- Wreaths
- Christmas Tree
- Lights
- Nativity Sets
- Ornaments
- Stockings
- Candles
- Candy Canes
- Nutcrackers
10 Christmas Cookies
- Gingerbread
- Chocolate Chip
- Molasses
- Sugar
- Snickerdoodles
- Peanut Butter
- Butterballs
- Peanut Butter Kisses
- Shortbread
- Cutout Cookies
10 Items Associated with the Nativity
- Mary
- Joseph
- Jesus
- Hay
- Manger
- Shepherds
- Wisemen
- Sheep
- Bright Star
- Angels
10 Christmas Traditions
- Looking at Christmas Lights
- Yule Log
- Christmas Parties
- Mistletoe
- Christmas Cards
- Making Christmas Cookies
- Christmas Caroling
- Putting out Cookies for Santa
- Advent Calendar
- Christmas Eve Service
All these ideas are but a sampling of what you could do to create a Christmas party that will create lasting memories for your students. Just remember to keep the reason for the season at the forefront of your celebration – the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ!
From all of us at Word of Life, we wish you a safe, happy, and healthy holiday season. Merry Christmas!
Gerry Horton is the Word of Life Youth Ministries missionary to South Carolina, living in Chapin, South Carolina. He and his wife, Kim, have served with Word of Life for the last three years. Prior to coming on staff with Word of Life, Gerry and Kim served for 28 years in the local church as a youth pastor. They have three children: Andrew, Ethan, and Emily.
1 thought on “Top 10 Activities to Take Your Christmas Celebration to the Next Level”
I will use these ideas for the Youth Center of Whie Cloud Inc.’s snow camp. I can do these events with or without snow. Thank you 🙂