A Night in Bethlehem

My parent's ward doesn't do anything simply. Their ward Christmas party is always a sight to behold!

Last year, the theme was "The Polar Express," with a tree-lined forest, a conductor, the young women doing the "Hot Chocolate" dance, and Santa Claus. It was truly amazing.

This year, the theme was "A Night in Bethlehem." The activities committee wanted this night to be as authentic as possible. The members were asked to come dressed in period-style clothing, we traded cans of food for "script" to pay for our dinner, they had a barn converted into a market place, and authentic food. We didn't stay for long because Sariah became beside herself about 6:30, but we were there for a good hour. It was amazing! Here are a few pictures.

Here is my sister's family. Didn't they dress up fabulously?


There were soldiers guarding the gate:


Once you pass through the gate, you "claim" your family and animals. They give you money according to how many members of your family there are and how many camels/goats/pigs you had:


Then you went to the tax payer and paid your "taxes" (cans of food):


You could buy a basket:


You could buy an oil lamp:


You could eat food:



There was a woman at the well:


We didn't dress up, but sure had a great time! Here's Sariah and daddy:


I, for one, can't wait to see what they come up with for next year!