“It’s not what’s under the tree that matters, it’s who is gathered around it.”
Here are a few ministering ideas you might try for the month of December. Many of these require extra effort, so if you need something simple this month. Just download a copy of the “It’s not what’s under the tree” card above, print, and deliver with a small note written on the back. This is just one of dozens of pull-out cards from the book, Heartfelt Ministering.
December Ministering Ideas:
- Gather your ministering sisters/families together for a chocolate fondue party. Invite each of them to bring their favorite fresh fruit for dipping.
- Invite your ministering sister’s family to your home to play a favorite board game.
- Take your family Christmas caroling to the homes of each of your ministering families.
- Drop off an extra copy of the Conference Ensign with a mug and hot cider mix for holiday bedtime reading.
Photo by Kira auf der Heide on Unsplash - Get together at your house or hers to help each other wrap Christmas gifts.
- Gather your ministering sisters, neighbors, or a few friends for a Christmas wreath-making party.
- Borrow your ministering sister’s children for an afternoon so she can do some Christmas shopping.
- Invite your ministering families to your home to watch the First Presidency Christmas devotional, or a favorite Christmas movie. Supply generous amounts of caramel popcorn or hot chocolate with marshmallows.
- Download and print copies of the #LightTheWorld calendar for each of your families and drop them off along with a holiday candle they can burn every night during the Christmas season (A gift tag you can attach to each candle is included in the Heartfelt Ministering book).
- If you live in an area where there are students or missionaries who will be far away from home at Christmas, consider inviting them to join your family for Christmas Eve or Christmas dinner.
- Check in with the mission office for the mission in your area to see if there are any missionaries who aren’t expecting a gift or care package from home. Be the surrogate family for this missionary this season.
Photo by Giulia Bertelli on Unsplash - Write to any missionaries serving from the families you minister to. Missionaries love getting real mail, but if that’s not possible, you can access an email address for any missionary serving from your ward via your LDSTools app. At this writing, you’ll need to tap the “More” icon (look for 3 small dots), then “Missionary.”
- Do you have a favorite Christmas children’s story? Drop off a copy to a family with small children.
- Gift fresh pineapples to your neighbors this holiday. It’s a delicious treat that requires very little preparation from you.
Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash - Invite your neighbors to join you for a Christmas cookie exchange party. Have everyone bring a plate with a dozen of their favorite cookies and send everyone home with a variety of different cookies. Provide hot wassail for everyone to enjoy along with their cookies.
- Invite your ministering sisters to your home to learn to make fudge, caramel, or your own festive specialty. I recorded my Mom demonstrating her caramel pecan nut rolls so you can check out that video if you want Grandma Joyce’s special recipe.
- Does your ministering family include youth who will be participating in a Christmas concert or recital? Now is a great time to show your support.
#LightTheWorld as you Minister this Season:
You should have no shortage of great ideas for how to minister to others this month, but if you are, sign in to the #LightTheWorld website and see if you can find inspiration there. I’ve included a few links from ideas shared in my ward Relief Society Council this week:
Ministering Globally:
Work with your ministering families to make a contribution to Heifer International (www.heifer.org) an organization that supplies families with resources to lift them out of poverty.
Contribute to any charity that provides clean water to those who can’t access it.
Find a refugee organization that needs new clothing, kitchen utensils, or sanitation items and contribute. Visit the I Was A Stranger website at https://www.lds.org/refugees for a list of all of the global charitable organizations the Church partners with.
Get together with your neighborhood to pool all of the funds you would have used for neighborhood gifts and contribute to an organization that provides relief for those who lost homes in the California wildfires.
Contributions to kiva.org create small micro loans to people worldwide who are starting small businesses or need help with education.
Find more ideas here: https://www.mormon.org/christmas/week-1-light-the-world
Ministering in your own Community: Light Your Community
This one is easy. Visit www.justserve.org, type in your zip code, and find a project near you.
Suggest to your extended family that instead of gifts for one another, you might shop for and buy gifts for a local family in need.
As part of a family party, get together and tie a quilt for a local women’s shelter.
Meals on Wheels is often looking for delivery drivers who can take a 1-hour shift once weekly to deliver meals to homebound senior citizens.
Tape a quarter to every gumball machine at the grocery store for a child to discover and use.
Here are more simple ideas: https://www.mormon.org/christmas/week-2-light-your-community
Ministering to Your Family: Light Your Family
Have a family Christmas sing-along and invite everyone who plays any kind of instrument to perform or play along.
Write a love letter or letter of appreciation to someone in your family.
Make copies of, and edit old home videos to share.
Download and make a hard copy of all of the missionary emails a member of your family sent while they were serving. Present these letters as a gift in a nice looseleaf binder.
Start a new family tradition. Invite all of your siblings for a sit-down Christmas dinner (without children–just the siblings and their companions). Or, go as a group to the gravesite of someone who passed away recently and leave a small wreath. Be sure to sing a Christmas carol together.
Do temple work for extended family members.
Ministering to Yourself – Light Your Faith:
- Set aside quiet time to read your scriptures by the light of the Christmas tree.
- Finish the Book of Mormon Challenge from President Nelson
- Set aside time for a trip to the temple
- Kindly serve a family member
- Listen to some sacred Christmas music–wherever you find it.
- Organize and clarify next year’s goals
- Choose a religious book you have been wanting to read and wake up a little earlier each morning to give yourself time.
