One of the most wonderful times of the year is Christmas and one of the most exciting events of the Christmas season is the church bazaar. Everyone is looking forward to this event as it brings people together and gives us the opportunity to see people we have not seen in a long time. But planning a Christmas bazaar is a lot of work. If you plan to do one, here are some of the things you will want to do.
The first thing you’ll want to do is pick a date and make sure the church is available for that date. The last thing you want is for the minister to tell you that he has a wedding planned for that day. Saturdays before Sunday service are usually the best time. You want the date to be close to Christmas, but not too close. The first or second week of the month is the best.
The next thing you need to do is post a sign-in sheet to see who is going to set the tables. This is your main attraction in the bazaar, so you need to make sure there are plenty of tables and a good variety of things to sell. You may also want to set up some special tables, like maybe one for taking photos or maybe a table for printing cards showing what happened on your birthday. You will need a computer and a special program for that. These things usually work out very well and are very profitable.
You’ll also want to make sure you plan to have a lunch setting. Keep menus simple and prices fair. People love to eat between purchases, but they don’t want to pay a fortune for it either. Have a few different types of desserts and drinks available such as sodas, coffee, and tea.
One of the best sellers in a Christmas bazaar is the pastry shop. It is a lot of work but it is worth it. Have as many people as possible bake cookies and cakes the day before and bring them to church to be packed and weighed. You want to sell things for the pound. Keep your prices fair and you’ll be fine. Depending on how much you bake, you could make $ 500 or more just from the bakery.
Finally, you want to make sure everything is set up the day before. The bazaar should start around 9 or 10 in the morning and should run until 3 or 4 in the afternoon. Make sure you have a Santa Claus there to take photos with the kids. You don’t have to hire one specially. You can recruit one of the church members that fits the costume to fill the role. You will surely have at least one volunteer.
By keeping a checklist and making sure everything is done, your bazaar is sure to come off without too much trouble.