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 a chance to see people we haven’t seen in a long time. But planning a Christmas bazaar is a lot of work. If you’re planning on making one, these are just some of the things you’ll 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-up sheet to see who is going to set up the tables. This is your main attraction in the bazaar, so you want 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 perhaps one to take photos or maybe a table to print cards showing what happened on your birthday. You will need a computer and a special program for that. These things generally work very well and are great for making money.
You’ll also want to make sure you plan on having a set up for lunch. Keep menus simple and prices fair. People love to eat between purchases, but they also don’t want to pay a fortune for it. Have a few different types of desserts and drinks available like soda, coffee, and tea.
One of the biggest sellers at a Christmas bazaar is the pastry. This is a lot of work but it is worth it. Ask as many people as possible to bake cookies and cakes the day before and bring them to church to be bagged and weighed. You want to sell things by the pound. Keep your prices fair and you’ll do just fine. Depending on how much you bake, you could make $500 or more from the bakery alone.
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 last until 3 or 4 in the afternoon. Make sure to have a Santa Claus there to take pictures with the kids. You don’t have to hire one specially. You can recruit one of the church members who fits the costume to play the part. You are sure to get at least one volunteer.
By keeping a checklist and making sure everything is done, your bazaar will go off without too many hitches.
