We are looking forward to a wonderful time of collaboration and brainstorming in how we can make the coming Christmas season more impactful for our congregations. It can be quite easy for us to get into a routine where we are comfortable. This is “good enough” for us as the ones organizing, rehearsing, and leading the final product. However, sometimes we need to freshen things up a bit and make the effort to make it better and not the same old things we have done year over year.

If you are like me, it can be a struggle to produce new and fresh ideas every year. I have had to change the way I plan for future events over the years to bring people in to aid me in the creative process. I would like to share with you three ideas that can help you plan a fresh Christmas season of music at your church.

  1. Recruit help. There will never be a lack of resources and ideas available to you every Christmas. The problem is weeding through it all. And even bigger is the problem of time. Throughout the year I will often pull up a Christmas playlist on Spotify and listen to songs that could be used. I will open my notes app on my phone and jot down the title and artist of the song so I can reference it later. But there again is a problem of my time being limited. I have asked key people in our choir and music program to do the same thing. They email me a list at various times of the year to give me ideas. Some we use and some we do not. This is a simple way to engage people to help you weed through the abundance of resources available. So, what about putting it all together?
  2. Rehearse. I understand that today is November 9. But my experience has been to start early. There isn’t anything wrong with pulling out a Christmas song for your instrumentalists to rehearse in June. Or even a special group or soloist. We rehearsed a Christmas song in April with the choir from past musicals that I want to keep fresh in their minds come October and December. The point is that it is never too early to start.
  3. Recycle. The last idea I would like to share is using useful resources from the past. Our choir learns 10-12 new songs every fall leading up to our Christmas program in December. Those songs are a valuable resource for both your choir and congregation. We have pulled out a song from past musicals that is a medley of carols, and our congregation is led by our choir in corporate worship even using the soundtrack. If a song is good enough to use once, it is good enough to be used again.

Though this is not an exhaustive list, I hope it helps you both this year and planning out next year’s Christmas season.

We will be sharing more ideas at our virtual meeting tomorrow at 2:00 PM central time. See the information below:

Join us for a virtual collaboration meeting on November 10, at 2:00 PM. Whether you are a layperson or a full-time staff member, you will benefit in several ways by attending.

  1. Meet others in music ministry who will encourage and bless you.
  2. Discuss ideas specific to the coming Christmas season.
  3. Look for new and fresh ideas as a seasoned music director.
  4. Gain insight and learn from other’s experiences (or even mistakes).
  5. Leave with resources and links for your ministry.

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