Hang garlands around the windows and doors. Hang non-breakable Christmas balls in clusters from the ceiling. Play Christmas music while club members work on the woven snowflake project.
Club members act out the events of the Christmas story while a leader reads it out loud from the Bible. Assign parts and allow several minutes for club members to discuss their roles with other related characters. For example, the shepherds should decide together how they would respond to the angels.
 
Supplies needed per child: 

• 3 sticks
• white yarn or string
• optional: hollow pasta, beads, glue, ribbon

Use yarn or string to tie three sticks together. Wrap yarn or string around them as shown. Pull the end under the last loop before you tighten it when the snowflake is as big as you want it. Weave the free end of the yarn back into the snowflake, or trim it short and glue it to the back. 

Click on the images for a larger view.

Variations: Wrap the ends of each stick with yarn, gluing the ends in place. String pasta or beads on the yarn before wrapping it around the sticks. Use ribbon for a shinier snowflake.   Gift Wrap Game
Wrap small gifts, such as candy, in several layers of wrapping paper. Have all the players sit in a circle. As in “Hot Potato,” the players pass the item around the circle until the music stops. When the music stops, whoever has the gift has to take off one layer of wrapping paper. The player who takes off the last layer gets to keep the gift. When players receive a gift, they leave the game. If possible, play until each player gets a gift–or hand out the same gift to the other players afterward. 

Suitable for preschool-age children and up.

Sleigh Race
Divide into teams. Provide each team with two shoeboxes and one set of bells to use as “sleigh bells.” Try to give different-sounding bells to each team. Designate equal numbers of “horses” and “sleighs” on the teams. Give bells to the first horse on each team. Blindfold the first sleigh on each team. The sleigh walks with feet in the shoeboxes (sleigh runners). 

The horses lead the blindfolded sleighs around a prescribed course, guiding them with the sound of the sleigh bells. The horses may not speak to their sleighs or touch them. Each time a horse and sleigh complete the course, they give the bells and shoeboxes to the next pair on their team.
Theme: Give yourself at Christmas. 
Scripture: John 3:16 
Preparation: Bring a wrapped empty gift box. 

What gifts do you think could fit inside this box? (Hold up box, and let listeners respond.) A lot of gifts could fit in this box, but some things are just too big—a bike, for example. And there are other gifts we can give and receive at Christmas that don’t fit in any box, no matter what size it is. Joy, hope, and love don’t fit in a gift box. And when we give of ourselves—through friendship, care, help, kind words—that doesn’t fit in a box, either. In fact, the very best gifts don’t come in boxes (hold up box.) 

God’s best gift to us didn’t come in a box at Christmas. The Bible tells us … (read John 3:16, and then have listeners repeat the verse together). God gave us the very best gift, God’s only Son, Jesus, who was born in Bethlehem long ago. Jesus loved us so much that he died for our sins and came back to life so we could be forgiven and have the wonderful gift of living with God forever. 

Think about what you can give to God during this Christmas season. It’s not anything that will fit in a box (hold up box). You can give God the gift of yourself by being kind and helping and serving others. What are some ways you can help and serve your family, friends, neighbors, and classmates? (Let listeners respond.) Think about what you want to give God this Christmas season. Remember, the best gifts don’t fit in a box (hold up box). 

Dear God, thank you so much for your great gift to us of Jesus! This Christmas season, we want to give you ourselves—our trust and our love and our service to others. We love you! In Jesus’ name, amen. 

Portions of this special event are adapted from Parties and Special Events and Talks that Teach, both Pioneer Clubs resources.