Reaching Out at Christmastime

This hospitality event provides an opportunity to build relationships with neighbors. It’s a casual social night that will include a brief time for you to share the significance of Christmas through a story about how God has changed your life.

You can use this same event to reach out to coworkers, acquaintances from your community organizations or parents of your children’s friends.

How to organize:

• Pray about the timing and preparation — and for your neighbors’ receptivity to your story.

• Choose a date and time. Take into account your town’s community calendar. Also, think about the makeup of your neighborhood. Young families will need to feed their children and settle a babysitter before arriving. Calendars fill up as Christmas draws near. Early December on a weeknight from 7 until 8:30 p.m. usually works well.

• Mail an invitation to each home in your neighborhood approximately 10 days in advance. Include your phone number so they can contact you with questions or leave the number with their sitter (if they decide not to bring their children). It’s a good idea to include an RSVP for regrets.

• Ask one or two responsible teenagers to help supervise and entertain the little ones so the adults can concentrate on getting acquainted with one another. Mention on the invitation that someone will be available to help watch the children; suggest that any tips for the sitter are welcome.

• Prepare a door hanger for each home that can be left the day before the event as a last-minute reminder to your neighbors. Pray for each family as you address the invitations and distribute the door hangers.

• Treat your guests. Don’t ask them to bring anything to this first gathering. You don’t want them to have any obstacles to attending.

• Do not stress out about what you will serve. If you like to bake, go for it (but bake all the desserts the day before). Or simply serve prepared desserts from a bakery.

• Place single servings of the desserts onto holiday plates so you will not be stuck at the serving table later in the night. Set out cups, glasses, silverware and napkins.

• Prepare a basket of name tags and markers. It will help others feel comfortable with people they have not met.

• Set out plenty of chairs. Arrange them in groupings instead of along walls.

• Serve a hot drink, such as wassail or coffee, and a cold drink, such as iced tea or punch.

• Play Christmas carols or hymns in the background.

• Think through the personal story you will share that night. The goal is not to preach to neighbors but to let them know a little about you personally and why Christmas is meaningful to you.

• Keep your story short, no longer than three minutes. Include a welcome to your guests. Tell them you are glad to be sharing a part of this special holiday with them. Then tell why it is so special to you. Share your story about 20 minutes before the party ends.

On This Topic

• Introduction • A Wrap-It-Up Night • A Kids’ Caroling Party for the Needy • A Christmas Coffee