party

How to Plan an Awesome Christmas Choir Kick-Off Party

How to Plan an Awesome Christmas Choir Kick-Off Party

Who doesn't love a Christmas party in September?! A Christmas choir party is a great way to kick off the new choir year, welcome new members, and build community, and a fun way to create some hype around whatever you have planned for Christmas.

My first year as Director of Music at the First Congregational Church in Westminster, MA, I surprised my choir one Wednesday night in September with a Christmas party. I hung up twinkle lights and pulled out a box of Christmas decorations for the tables. We drank hot chocolate, ate Christmas cookies, and played a few hilarious games (see below).

As an aside, for a group that didn't really enjoy spending time together in social settings, this was the start of building community. Within two years, this group of singers became a group of friends who truly enjoyed spending time together.

The next year, I planned a Saturday workshop. I brought in a friend (a professional conductor) to rehearse the group (a great learning experience for all of us), we read through our Christmas cantata, played a few Christmas games, and had a potluck lunch.

Around the World: The Invitations

This year, I planned an "Around the World" theme for my children's choir (1st-8th grade). As we approach the end of the choir year, I am planning an International Night/end-of-the-year party to celebrate our journey around the world!  Today’s post is all about the invitations. I came across these images from Seven Swans Wedding Stationery a while ago and I held onto them because they were so perfect for this year’s choir theme!  I decided to make postcard invitations for our end-of-the-year party.  I recreated the map and plane trails with the places we’ve been this year, leaving the back free for date/time details, what to bring, etc.

I love this wrap-around label inspired by airmail envelopes.  I modified it a little by creating a smaller size box on the back of the postcard to fill in each child’s name.  I thought it might be best to hand them out in choir rather than mailing them – that way, I can be sure that every child receives one.  Here is what I created:

postcard graphic

I love how they turned out!  I can’t wait to see what they look like in print!

Read More: Around the World: The Food Around the World: The Decorations Around the World: The Party

Around the World: The Decorations

This year, I planned an "Around the World" theme for my children's choir (1st-8th grade). As we approach the end of the choir year, I am planning an International Night/end-of-the-year party to celebrate!  Today, I’m sharing my inspiration for the decorations. As a visual aid for the kids during the year, I made an 8.5″x11″ paper flag of each place that we visited, leaving me with 8+ flags to use for decorating at this party!  I like this idea of hanging them behind one of the food tables but I’m also considering stringing them together to make some colorful bunting.

flags

I think a colorful bunting would bring the whole room to life.  Bunting (in some fashion) is a must.

Everyone knows drinking with a straw make your drink way more fun.  How about some striped (color-appropriate!) ones like these?

Lastly, it wouldn’t be a party without some type of favor!  I’m still trying to decide what will be best.  A flag key chain?  A sweet treat?  An iTunes download?  The possibilities are endless!  I've seen mini paper bags made from recycled maps – perfect for giving away a prize at the end of the night!

Read more: Around the World: The Food Around the World: The Invitations Around the World: The Party

Around the World: The Food

This year, I planned an "Around the World" theme for my children's choir (1st-8th grade). As we approach the end of the choir year, I am planning an International Night/end-of-the-year party to celebrate!  Today's post is all about the food. There are lots of resources out there for creating colorful, party-friendly plates that represent flags from around the world.  Since that was the basis for my visual inspiration for the year, it worked out perfectly!  Many everyday food items are colorful by nature and with a little bit of creative presentation, the theme will come alive.

italy

To make this relatively easy and kid-friendly, we decided to make homemade pizzas look like flags with green, red, and orange vegetables (think peppers, tomatoes, basil leaves, and pepperoni).  This way, everyone can bring a topping to share and the kids can have a hand in putting everything together.  Also, any topping leftovers can be used as a pre-dinner snack!

For dessert, there are always several options to choose from.  From cupcakes to cookies to fruit trays, the sky is the limit! I love the idea of sending a decorated cookie (like these) or a world lollipop home with each child as a favor.  What do you think?

Read more: Around the World: The Invitations Around the World: The Decorations Around the World: The Party

Christmas Choir Kick-Off: Highlights

It's the most wonderful time of the year!  We had our Christmas Choir Kick-Off this past Saturday and the weather turned cool just in time!  From red and green Christmas sweaters to the potluck lunch and paper snowflakes to gingerbread houses, a great time was had by all.  Here are a few pictures from the day:

My team's gingerbread house creation: notice the woodpile, warm glowing windows, picket fence, garlands, bushes, and fresh snowfall.

Follow along with my creative work and daily adventures: @ashleydanyew

In honor of #smallbusinesssaturday2024, here are my ✨2025 predictions✨ for musicians and creative entrepreneurs: 1️⃣ Pivoting will still be essential: Flexibility and adaptability will define success—embrace change and be willing to evolve.
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