Our Who-Tacular Ward Christmas Party

We always love our church congregation's annual Christmas party. This year was particularly memorable because of the theme: The Grinch Who Stole Christmas!

I've always loved The Grinch; it's a funny, clever, and sweet Christmas parable that has appeal both for Christians and for those who prefer the more secular side of the holiday season. Who doesn't need a reminder, once in a while, that Christmas is about something more than presents, packages, boxes, and bags? Plus, that great song from the original cartoon...eek! Love it!

My friend Miranda was put in charge of the ward Christmas party this year. As soon as I heard she was in charge, I knew the party would be a success. Miranda was our ward Relief Society president for several years, and she is an incredibly organized, motivating, hard-working, intelligent, spiritual woman. I don't think I have a picture of her to share in this blog post, actually...probably because she is always too busy and "on the move" to pose for pictures! She is the kind of friend you would always trust with an important project, because you know she'll do an excellent job with it.

Although Miranda may have been put in charge of the whole thing, she also had a lot of other very talented people working with her, too. Once the "Grinch" theme was selected, a lot of fun ideas were put into motion. The end result was a party that looked and felt like it belonged in a Dr. Seuss book; wildly colored, garishly decorated, and filled with kooky rides!

I was put on the food committee for the party, after telling Miranda I would be happy to help her out. My first task was to bake about 300 green "Grinch" cookies:

I actually ended up making these in late November, and they spent the next few weeks keeping cool in my freezer. After that, I didn't have a whole lot to do until the day of the party. That morning, I met with the rest of the food committee and we popped a lot of popcorn, and made a lot of vanilla pudding dyed green. This would be the "Who-pudding" referred to in the original book; each individual serving would be topped with whipped cream and red sprinkles.

Honestly, I thought the pudding looked quite unappetizing when it was first mixed together; it was so lumpy, it almost looked like guacamole instead! However, after transporting it to the church, mixing it a little more thoroughly, and adding the toppings, it looked (and tasted!) delightful!

I also helped pop a bunch of popcorn and drizzle it with melted candy; it would be a nice snack to munch on after the main dinner was served. The dinner was ham, as is usual for a ward Christmas dinner...although on this night, it was of course re-christened as "roast beast."

I volunteered to deliver a bunch of the food to the church building while the rest of the food committee finished up their work. I was excited to see a sneak preview of the decorations for the party. Miranda had asked Susan, our bishop's wife, to be in charge of the decorations. You may remember Susan as the amazing interior decorator who put together a lovely wedding on a shoestring budget. I knew she'd have a little more funds to work with this time around, and I was excited to see what she'd come up with.

As usual, Susan did not disappoint! I loved seeing all her handiwork, as well as the artistic talent of her helpers. Everything was pitch-perfect.

 

But perhaps even more impressive than the decor was the entertainment for the evening...

...namely, the huge "Mt. Crumpet" slide, and the "Grinch sleigh ride!" Yes, our amazing talented friend Scott (along with several engineer buddies) designed, planned, and built a mini wooden roller coaster in our church building. It is incredible how creative some people are in our ward. The girls came a few hours early with me to the church building to check out the decor, and they were blown away by the rides. They got to try out each ride in advance, too! (Lucky for them, because once the party officially started, the line ran out the door and the wait was long)

This picture is a year old, but here's the shirt I wore to the party. The girls got it for me last Christmas, and it was perfect for the ward party!

Before the party officially started, though, I had to go home and make some mashed potatoes (I'd promised to bring some for the party). And, of course, it was time for my daughters to get their "Cindy Lou Who" getup on:

In some ways, this Christmas party felt almost like a second Halloween party, with all the costumes and the games! It definitely had a more playful, light-hearted feel than many other ward Christmas parties I've attended.

As a member of the food committee, I spent much of the party in the kitchen, running food and trays in and out and refilling the serving trays as needed. It was busy work, but it felt good to be helping. I still got to visit with several friends, too! I also got to sneak out in time to see Aurora try out the awesome Grinch sleigh ride:

 

She was so thrilled! I'm bummed that I didn't get a video of the slide in action, but the kids were in heaven about it. I suspect this party will be the stuff of legend for some of these children in the years to come.

After all the play time was done, the young women in the ward did a "reader's theater" rendition of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. This was followed by the singing of Christmas carols by the whole ward. It was a nicely spiritual way to cap off the evening.

Overall, I was very impressed by the party. It was organized so well and came together beautifully. Miranda, Susan, and everyone else who participated did a wonderful job. On a personal note, our family was also happy that Grandma Barrett came along to enjoy the festivities.

I have noticed that our bishop likes calling long-time ward members to plan the ward Christmas party; I wonder if my turn as head planner will come one of these Christmases? If so, this party will be a hard one to top! Right now, I am just content to bask in the happy memory of this event.