I just got a little flyer on my door inviting me to the ward Christmas dinner. This must be a new PR tool or something. I never remember in all my years as an active member having ONE non member come to the ward party...it seems like it would be awkward, actually.

What else is weird is that they are having Santa visit BEFORE dinner. Oh that's going to work out well...get the kiddos all wired and then expect them to sit and eat? Don't think so.

The whole thing just seems very strange to me. Since I see the missionaries riding their bikes everywhere around here with no seeming destination, I am quite sure they will be in attendance.
(This is in the South Valley area of SL County in a not so mormon area of town.)

We get them too. This year, a neighborhood breakfast with opening prayer said by the bishop, missionaries present, and no coffee in sight. How about a neighborhood wine and cheese party? Or, a pizza and beer with your neighbors night?

We were invited to an Easter egg hunt and breakfast. At the time, we lived at the end of a cul-de-sac, and the LDS organizer was using the front yards of the homes at the end of the cul-de-sac for egg hunts.

Apparently, it was a tradition to use the three yards at the end of the cul-de-sac for this purpose.

However, we purchased the house, and it was not theirs to commandeer.

After a few years, I put a stop to this, and they moved their Easter egg hunt and breakfast elsewhere.

I got a flyer for a "neighborhood" nativity play or something. With a "light dinner," and "All faiths and neighbors welcome." It's definitely Mormon because it's being held at the local ward house.

I need a "no soliciting" sign. Although they probably wouldn't obey it.

When I was still active, which was many, many years ago, they did this and actually a nonmormon I used to be in a carpool to Thiokol with came to the dinner. I was so SHOCKED!

But we have already received the invite to this year's dinner and I got the invite to the R.S. whatever they had. I'm resigned, but we still get all these with a rubber band on our front door.

Like we are all too stupid to realize what they are doing.

The last ward dinner I went to was very scary. The bishop gave a blessing on the food and before he was done you could hear running as people got in line for food. About half of the people there were either inactive or from another ward. I was a ward clerk and didn't recognize a lot of them. They came for the food and it was un-nerving to see them scramble for a place in line where they heaped up their plates and sat down before getting in line again. This was a long time ago, don't miss those days at all.

Yep, it's the same around here. No longer a "ward" party but a "neighborhood party." For all Mormon activities like Christmas, summer barbeques etc. It reminds me of the time I was in a Primary presidency and we'd look at the ward map and the houses would be color-coded member, non-member, inactive etc. I asked why non-member houses were highlighted and the bishop said that those people were part of the ward and he was responsible for them, even though they weren't members of the church. Both tactics are seriously overbearing.

Last night, I celebrated the fact that I never have to go to a Ward party again! Yay!

I was leaving for a fun, non-Mormon party. I was dressed in jeans and boots. My son jokingly said, "So, you're going to the ward party?"

I said, "Yes, I'm going alone, and bringing a casserole that serves 10 people." I can't believe I actually did that, every year.

My kids always refused to go, so I would go alone. I was always asked to bring food for 10. I would sit with the other singles at a separate table, off to the side. Deanie, The Dreaded Single Adult would give funny-but-true accounts of how it was to be single at ward parties. At her ward, the single women were last at the buffet table, and there weren't any chairs left, so they sat on the stage steps.

(Ew--I still have the image of a ravaged buffet table, with jell-o spilled into the lasagna, and most of the dishes already emptied out and crusty. Not appetizing at all.)

There was always great prestige for the people who managed to bring non-Mormons along to the Christmas party. Also, the larger the family that filled up the tables, the more respect was given to them.

I always had to attend, because I had to play the piano for the party. I didn't eat, and after I was finished playing, I would go pick up the kids, and we would go to McDonald's, and then rent a movie. If I hadn't had that to look forward to, the depression of being single in a couples world at Christmas would have gotten to me. Life is so much better, now!

Let me see if I have this right -- you attended by yourself, brought a casserole large enough to feed ten people, went without eating, and worked during the "festivities." How nice for everyone else. Yeesh! You would think they could have had prerecorded Christmas carols and given you a break for once.

I would rather have stayed home with my children, but since I "had to" go, playing the piano was almost like not being at the party.

To be honest--I loved playing Christmas carols, and preferred that over trying to make conversation with Mormons. I was a working woman, and focused on my children, my career, skiing and hobbies, and my non-mormon friends and relatives. I was never quite in tune with all the latest RS gossip--my mind was elsewhere. I was burnt out on talking about the church, because I had taken all those Sunday school, institute, and BYU religion classes, and had read that stupid BOM 7 times--and Mormonism still didn't make sense.

Playing the piano was entertaining and uplifting and "Christmassy" for me. I didn't want to eat the food, anyway. I was "ordered" to bring food for 10. I went alone, because I was too nice to my kids, and didn't force them to go.

My reward was being able to leave after the program, and not be involved in the clean-up.

Our ward had a Christmas tree, until early 1990. The Primary children used to make paper ornaments for it. I thought that was cool. Our ward house also used to have a picture of Christ hanging in the chapel. It was moved out of the chapel and into the RS room for a while, but it disappeared completely, about 15 years ago. No tree, no decorations, no Christ. Sometimes, they had poinsettias by the podium.

Single Adult." I never met her in real life, but I will never forget her. She had a way of telling stories that grabbed your heart and just didn't let go.

Well you could go and crash the party?!

;-)

I remember friends inviting my to their churches (Lutheran, Methodist, Baptist, etc.) for church dinners, dances, etc. There was never any pressure to join up -- just warm hospitality from the church membership to the friend of a member. I think that Mormons are so caught up in doing missionary work that genuine friendship and hospitality to nonmembers is lost. It's like they can't see the forest for the trees.

When I was a kid my Lutheran Church always had a neighborhood 12th night party. It was a huge bonfire (burn your Christmas Tree) with hotdogs, s'mores and hot chocolate. Sledding down the hill in the back of the church. Hauled the tree up there on the sled.

Even our Jewish neighbors came for the fun. Only grace before they let us start to roast our hotdogs. Everyone stayed outside, unless it was really cold and then they made the basement a sort of warming house.

That was how a church should throw a neighborhood party.

My wife grew up in a very small town in Cache Valley. When I first started going with her in the 70s they had a very amazing Christmas Eve Christmas party at the church that was not correlated or a missionary tool. Many of the local apostates, hoodlems, cowboys, near-do-wells etc etc came and ate dinner and told off color jokes and played with the kids waiting to talk to Santa ( all the kids knew who Santa was, and it was a real joke, because he was no Santa, when out of uniform.) My home ward had similar Christmas dinner where local apostates were felt welcome (like my Grandfather) without fear of member-missionary torture. Speaking of which the Mishies were on my door last night and left "Light the World" cards stuck in my car window. I promised the wife I would just tell them we were not interested instead of chasing them off with a hose.

Hey, I'm having a problem figuring out if it's a real memory or a false memory: In this memory, I'm seeing a Christmas tree in the lobby, half way between the front entrance and the doorway into the cultural hall, just passed the staircase to the second floor classrooms...

Are Christmas trees currently allowed in a ward building?

If not, were they ever allowed?

One year at the ward christmas party my sister had an allergic

reaction to the angel hair decoration that was on the tree.

After that, I don't remember seeing any other trees at a ward

christmas party.

It may depend on your local fire codes, but we had Christmas trees in the foyer when I was attending (not for past 32 years). Initially the tree had lights, but then the fire marshal issued a ruling that lights were not permitted due to fire hazard, so the tree only had ornaments.