A Night in Bethlehem

As the ward activities director I decided to do something for our ward Christmas party this year that had been done in my ward as a child and left a big impression on me. It was a lot of work, but in the end I thought it turned out to be a great evening. We assigned each auxillary to help decorate the cultural hall for A Night in Bethlehem. Families were invited to dress up in biblical attire (towels and bathrobes were sure the rage back then ;-)!), and come to be counted. We served chicken ceasar salad pitas, fruits, cheese, olives and some traditional cookies. We had a census, and a tax collector, and even a roman centurion thanks to dryer vent duct tape and one very creative priest in our ward! The evening ended with the Christmas story being read and portrayed while everyone sang hymns of the season. I can only speak for myself, but I thought it was a great way to focus on the Savior and escape the commercial bustle of the season.