12 Days Until Christmas
While it might seem like there’s a lot you can’t do, there’s lots that you can do to reach your community and share the hope, peace, joy, and love of Christmas with others.
1. Say Thank You
Drop of a Christmas card with a meaningful message of thanks and appreciation and a box of chocolates, or individually wrapped purchased goodies to the local emergency and community services near your church or in your town, ie) RCMP detachment, firehall, town hall, health centre, etc. Your words of thanks for how they serve the community all year long will be appreciated.
2. Send Greetings
Send a recorded greeting to your local nursing home with a message from your church. As most nursing and long-term care homes cannot have visitors, many are looking for digital greetings from the community to encourage residents. Create a virtual “carol sing”, do some Christmas readings and send words of care and encouragement.
3. Give Cheer
Deliver poinsettia plants to your church neighbours with a card. Let them know that you are thinking about them during the Christmas season, that you care about them, value them, and are praying for them. Every time they look at the bright plant they will think of your church.
4. Dish Out
Contact the Mustard Seed, Hope Mission or other agencies that feed the homeless and needy, and purchase Christmas meals. Consider using funds designated for Christmas Eve services and other inhouse ministries that are cancelled for this year, to meet an urgent practical need.
5. Spread Hope
Utilize your church sign to give more than information. Post words of hope and encouragement. If your church doesn’t have one, you can rent one.
6. Serve Those Who Serve
Drop-off, or arrange to have dropped off, a box of purchased donuts, or other locally bought goodies on Christmas Eve, to your local hospital ER. Frontline staff working the Christmas shift will appreciate being remembered.
7. Dig Deep
Surprise the neighbours around your church by doing snow removal from their driveway or walkway, especially elderly neighbours. Encourage households in your church to adopt a block or area of your church neighbourhood, or their neighbourhood to clear snow for neighbours, especially those who may not be able to do so themselves. Provide cards for shovelers to leave on doorsteps with a greeting from your church and contact information.
8. Bring Light
During the dark days of winter, outdoor lights are practical and cheerful. Decorate your church with lights that will not only draw people’s attention to your church, but also bring them cheer.
9. Say Merry Christmas
Take out an ad in your local newspaper, post on your community Facebook page, or other social media, Christmas greetings from your church. Recognize the shared challenges and losses of the last year, as well as the hope that we can have for the future. Let your community know that you care, love and value them, and that you are there for them.
10. Send Encouragement
Send a Christmas card with a gift card to a local coffee shop and an encouraging word to other pastors in your community. If you’ve been feeling the stress, strain and uncertainty of recent times, so have other pastors in your community.
11. Top Up
Call your local food bank and find out what their current needs are. Consider having a touchless drive through food drive to ensure that Christmas season needs are met.
12. Belt It Out
Encourage households in your church to go socially distanced carolling throughout their neighbourhood. Provide cards for people to leave on doorsteps with a Christmas greeting and contact information for your church.
Be simple. Be genuine. Be kind. Be thoughtful. Be intentional. Be creative. Be outward bound.
Hailey Armoogan has served in vocational Christian ministry for 30 years as Children’s & Family Ministries Pastor in local church contexts across Canada and overseas in Jerusalem, Israel, as a PAOC Global Worker, as well as Lead Pastor in Fort Smith, NT and Director of Northern Initiatives & Church Partnerships with the ABNWT District of the PAOC. Ordained with the PAOC, she holds a Bachelor of Theology with a minor in Cross-Cultural Studies, a Certificate of Messianic Studies and a Master of Arts in Global Leadership from Fuller Theological Seminary. Hailey was born in Montreal, Quebec and raised in Waterloo, ON, where she currently resides.