A night in Bethlehem
Last weekend I helped a few ladies from my church plan our wards Christmas party: A Night in Bethlehem. We wanted to create a Christmas experience that celebrated the life of Christ. I’m on the enrichment committee, so part of my job is to help with the ward activities (best calling ever). I thought this night turned out fabulous, so I wanted to share some of the pictures with you. 🙂 Everything for this event was borrowed or purchased at Goodwill. We used LOTS of fabric to create the displays. There were so many people that volunteered to set up for this event and it really turned out so amazing. The pictures do not do justice.
When the ward members arrived at the event they brought a can of food (which we donated) and in exchange were given a bag of pennies. The kids went around to each booth (meat, cheese, bread, lentil soup, pastry, etc) and “bought” the food with their pennies. The kids really enjoyed that part. Here is the fruit booth I decorated. We used old sheets for the tablecloth and we placed a bed skirt around the top of the tent to add a little detail. The baskets and fruit is really what made the whole display.
This was the pita booth…which btw those were the best pitas ever! I need to find the recipe for you guys!
My favorite booth… the pastry booth. Lots of yummy goods!
The wise men passed out gold frankincense and myrrh (mini chocolate chips) to all the children.
I loved the water well. It was filled with water bottles. They did a fabulous job on it.
Our ward acted out the nativity and it was so neat to see everyone who participated in that. Everyone brought blankets and sat on the floor with their families.
We had such a great time. I’m so grateful for my Savior and that we can celebrate His birth and the life He lived.
Hope you all are enjoying this holiday season. Xoxo
This is so neat. Great displays! I would love to attend something like this.
Thank you Kirsten! Have a wonderful holiday!
He is a WONDERFUL Savior! This is a neat idea! What a great way to celebrate CHRISTmas!
Yes He is! Have a wonderful holiday. 🙂
What a GREAT job you did decorating! i love the bedskirt! I remember doing that when I was little! SO fun! Have a great weekend! Smiles, Jill
Thanks Jill! Gotta love goodwill. 😉 Have a great day!
You all did a remarkable job with this! I love how you used all the fabric to make it look exactly what it must have looked like all those years ago. It’s also refreshing to see a Christmas celebration focusing on the REAL reason for this Season. I imagine the guests at your party felt felt very special that you all went to such lengths to make everything so beautiful. Hope you have a very Merry Christmas.
Thanks Trinity! 🙂 Merry Christmas to you too!
I think 90% of the blogs that are related to home/family/budget are LDS women! I am too. 🙂 We did an activity like that several years ago and it was amazing. You did a wonderful job with it-but no surprise there! 🙂 I love your blog!
How amazing!!! I too am grateful and dearly love our Savior and older brother, Jesus Christ. I would not like to think of my life without the Gospel; but am thrilled everyone has the Light of Christ in them. There are wonderful people of all cultures, religions, etc., in the world. I am definately suggesting to our ward doing this next year (of course, that means I’ll be in charge…..hmmm….maybe I can get someone else to suggest it…ya think?). Thanks for sharing this beautiful memory and your testimony!
Thanks Carrie for you sweet comment. 🙂 I hope you have a happy holidays! xo
Such an awesome idea for a ward party! Everything looks amazing!
It was definitely the best ward party I’ve ever been too. So many fun details that went into the evening. I hope you have a happy holidays! xo
I read lots and lots of DIY blogs with endless amounts of wonderful ideas. I was so stopped in my tracks when I came across and read this post in my inbox.
I attend church about 20-30 times a year, not enough and have certainly seen my fair share of christmas plays and performances. The decorations and the costumes that you created are just wonderful. Almost a shame that it only gets to be seen for a short time once a year.
Thank you so much for your post on this topic and for showing us your wonderful ability to decorate “a booth”. Blessings to you this holiday season.
Thanks for your comment. It was a wonderful evening. I hope you have a happy holidays! xo
wow. so well planned and executed. looks like an awesome time to really celebrate and think about the meaning of the season!
Thanks Jessica! Everyone there did such an amazing job. I hope you have a happy holidays! xo
This looks amazing! And ohmygosh– there’s Sister B! How fun 🙂
Hi! I just found your blog when researching how to pull of this party for our ward party this year. I am in charge of doing the party and I just love this idea. If you have time, would you be able to email me? I just have a few questions on details about the party… Any help would be so appreciated. Noone in my ward has been to a party like this and I think it would be so wonderful! You guys did a great job!
Hi Valena! I would love to answer your questions. Feel free to send me and email with your questions to [email protected]!
Wow, I found this on Pinterest from my friend in my current ward in Utah and saw my friend from my old ward in Washington in one of the pictures! Small world in the church. Love this idea. I remember something like this when I was very small in my ward in California.
Wow, it really is such a small world! The night in Bethlehem was such an amazing experience, I want to do it again!
These look so Awesome Jamielyn. We are planning a Nativity display – second year – with advertising this time, in late November. I would love more “booth ideas” We will only use the primary room for this, as the gym will hold the 160+ nativities we have to display. Any other suggestions would be so helpful.
Hi! We loved our Night In Bethlehem activity, such great memories! Some booth ideas I can think of are to have a booth where the 3 wise men are handing out gold, frankincense and myrrh and a booth for the children to color pictures of the nativity! Check on sugardoodle.net, they have a lot of really good ideas too! 🙂
Do you have the pita recipe? We are doing this at our church.
Hi Kim! Somebody else made the pitas so I’m not sure what recipe they used! I’ve seen a few good recipes from allrecipes.com, maybe check the reviews there! 🙂
How did you make the tent frames?
Hi Mindi! We made them out of pvc pipes and connectors. 🙂
Hi! Â I also love this idea. Â Out of curiosity, what did you serve as a main dish? Â Our ward has always done a ham, but not feeling like that is really appropriate for this theme. Â Fish would be awesome, but pricey. Â
Hi Mindy! We didn’t have a big meat dish. We served soup, pita bread, appetizers, and desserts!
I know this event was a long time ago but can you give more of a description of the food that was served? Â Thank you!
Hi Jill! We served soup, pita bread, appetizers, and desserts!
I know this was a while ago, but how did you make the well? We are looking to make one for a Women at the Well production.
Hi Liz! I’m sorry but I didn’t make the well, someone else was in charge of it! 🙂
Hi Jamie,Â
Love your set-up! I’m sure the kids had a great time! I was wondering if I could get instructions to how your team created the well…we want to do something similar and would love to imitate what you have.
Thanks!
Hi Ivony! I’m sorry but somebody else was in charge of that part so I am not sure!
It is so amazing, i gonna suggest this to my church pastorate committee so that we can also celebrate christ this way .
thats so brilliant.
Merry christmas
How was the water well built? It’s lovely!Â
I don’t know how they built it, but I agree – they did an amazing job!
Hello, I think you did such an incredible job on the so long ago ward party. This year my ward, in Utah has assigned me to do this. Will you please share with me how the well was made? and perhaps how the base of the tents was made?
I would love to hear back soon as I’m already gathering everything. thanks so much.
Hi Katherine!
I loved helping with this party! The tent base was a quick shade tent (like this) that we covered in fabric. I’m afraid I didn’t help with the well – but I agree, they did an amazing job on it!
I hope you have an amazing ward party this year!
Thanks so much for answering me back. I’ve been already collecting the tents. Thanks again I loved seeing your pictures.
What was served as a main course
Hi Melaine! We didn’t have a big main course. We just served soup, pita bread, appetizers, and desserts!
Thanks for sharing this!!! My ward did something just like this when I was little and I seriously remember it SO vividly still. The kids were given little dreidels and got to play some games that Jesus might have played as a child. It was such an awesome experience!
Sounds like such a great night! My kids still talk about this night too!
Did everyone just come in and go booth to booth to eat and then everyone gathered for the nativity?
Exactly! 🙂
Hi! Â Can you forward me anything you have about how to put an activity like this together? Â Thank you!
Hi Annette! I would love to answer your questions. Feel free to send me and email with your questions to [email protected]!
I realize this post is several years old, but I’m wanting to do something similar for our neighborhood Christmas party. Do you happen to know where they got the palm leaves for the well and how the palm trees were made?
Hi Nicole! Someone from the ward had their palm trees trimmed and kept them for the event (we lived in AZ where a lot of people had palm trees).
Oh My Goodness…we went to a Night In Bethlehem with all the decorations and themed atmosphere, a ancient market with Romans standing guard, to standing under the stars with the shepherds and then visiting the place where the Christ Child was born. It was guest engaging and just beautiful and inspiring. Your pictures here were very similar and I love what you did.
I wanted to create a Night in Bethlehem for my families participation and you have inspired me all the more. I believe we are standing at a time when Western-worldly celebrations of Christmas just can’t be the focus. Lives are at stake and our children and grandchildren need to keep Christ as the focus daily and at Christmas all the more!
Thank you for such inspiration here…I can’t wait to see how our event comes together!