If you lead the women at your church, you already know how December goes. There's shopping and baking, the children's program, family coming in, and a calendar that fills up faster than you can write on it. And somewhere in the middle of all that, you're also carrying the women's Christmas gathering.
You want it to be good. You want it to point to Jesus. But between picking a date, planning a menu, finding a devotional, decorating a room, and asking a few women to help, it's hard to know where to start… so it keeps sliding to the bottom of the list.
Every December, my own women's group reserves the big back room at our favorite Italian restaurant. We eat together, someone shares a short devotional, and then we play a gift exchange game.
Over the years I've noticed something. Nobody remembers what was on the menu, and most of us couldn't tell you who went home with which gift. What we remember is the laughter, the conversations that kept going out in the parking lot, and how good it felt to sit down together at Christmas.
Your women need that too. A simple place to sit down together and remember why we celebrate. You don't need a big budget, a stage, or a big team to give it to them. You need a warm room, good food, a short word from Scripture, and a little space for God to move.
That's exactly why I created Gather at the Manger.
"When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, 'Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.' So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger." Luke 2:15-16 (NIV)
The shepherds didn't go alone. They turned to each other and said, "Let's go," and they found Jesus right where God said they would.
That's the heart of this kit. One gathering where your women come to the manger together, and then go home glad.
What's inside the kit
Twenty-seven pages for one fellowship gathering of about two hours. It works with brunch, lunch, dinner, or dessert and coffee, and it stretches to a half day if you want more time. Read it through once with a cup of coffee, and you'll know exactly what to do next.
The Six-Week Planning Timeline
A week-by-week checklist that starts six weeks out and carries you through the follow-up afterward. Choosing your date, asking helpers, sending invitations, and printing your pieces each have their own week, so the work is spread out evenly.
The Run of Show and Host Script
A minute-by-minute plan for the two hours, from the moment women walk in to the final goodbyes, with notes for adjusting it to your meal. The host script gives you the words for the welcome, the opening prayer, each transition, and the closing.
Devotional: Let's Go Together
A 15 to 20 minute devotional from Luke 2 that follows the shepherds in four steps: they heard, they went together, they found Him, and they went home changed. Read it word for word or teach from the headings, then let tables talk through five discussion questions.
Activity: Good News to Tell
Each woman writes one way God showed His goodness to her this year on a paper star, shares it with a friend, and lays it in the manger. By the end, the manger is full of good news. Full instructions and a printable star page are included, and it works for 8 to 80 women.
The Menu Guide
Three menus: brunch or lunch, dinner, and dessert and coffee. Each one is planned for 20 women with amounts you can scale, and each works for catering, cooking as a team, or a potluck. The potluck sign-up sheet is organized by category, so every part of the meal is covered.
The Simple Decor Guide and Supply List
Three places to focus: the manger, the tables, and the welcome table. Each one has a budget-friendly option and a little-more option, and the supply list shows what to pull from the church closet and what to borrow or buy.
Volunteer Roles and Prepare Your Own Heart
Eight simple roles with what each one does and when, plus the words for asking someone personally. Then a page just for you, with Luke 2:19, three questions to ponder, and a prayer for the week before.
The Closing, Take-Home Cards, and a Half-Day Plan
A closing prayer and a printable Go Home Glad card for each woman, with Luke 2:20 on the front and four questions for the week on the back. If you'd like more time together, the half-day plan gives you eight add-on ideas and a sample four-hour schedule.
Plus five bonuses
Five more downloads that come with the kit at no extra charge.
Bonus 1
Christmas Scripture Prayer Cards
Twelve cards, four to a page, each with a Christmas verse from the NIV and a one-line prayer to go with it. Set one at each place or send them home with the take-home cards, and your women will have a verse to carry through December.
Bonus 2
Christmas Favor and Gift Tags
A page of favor tags that say "So glad you gathered with us," with a line for her name, and a page of Merry Christmas gift tags with to and from lines. Nine to a page, ready to tie onto a small treat or a gift exchange present.
Bonus 3
Editable Invitation and Flyer Set
Two 5 x 7 invitations to a page and a full-page flyer, already written and designed. Type your details into the fillable PDF once and both invitations fill in, or open the Canva or Google Slides template and make it your own. If you'd rather write by hand, it prints with blank lines.
Bonus 4
Welcome and Table Sign Set
A welcome sign for the door that also prints at 11 x 17, a Scripture table tent with Luke 2:15-16, a table blessing tent, and buffet food labels with checkboxes for common allergens. Little touches that make the room feel ready the minute women walk in.
Bonus 5
Volunteer Thank-You Notes
Four notes to a page with Philippians 1:3, "I thank my God every time I remember you," and lines for a personal note. Hand them out the week after, so every woman who helped knows it mattered.
Where this fits
Every resource I make is built on the same four steps. I call it the Purpose to Plan Path™.
Discover the Direction
Understand the theme and the Scripture before you touch a single detail.
In this kit: the welcome letter, the theme, and Luke 2:15-16Choose What Fits
Pick the pieces that match your group, your timeline, and your setting.
In this kit: three menus, decor options, and the half-day planShape the Gathering
Arrange the pieces so everything points toward Jesus.
In this kit: the run of show, the devotional, the Good News activity, and the take-home cardPrepare to Lead
Handle the practical details and your own heart.
In this kit: the six-week timeline, host script, volunteer roles, and Prepare Your Own HeartGather at the Manger walks all four steps for one Christmas gathering, so the Scripture, the message, the activity, and the card each woman takes home all point the same direction.
Get Gather at the Manger
The complete Christmas Event Kit and all five bonuses for $7.
One time. Yours to keep.
- 27-page Gather at the Manger: Christmas Event Kit (PDF)
- BonusChristmas Scripture Prayer Cards
- BonusChristmas Favor and Gift Tags
- BonusEditable Invitation and Flyer Set
- BonusWelcome and Table Sign Set
- BonusVolunteer Thank-You Notes
Delivered right after checkout. Print what your group needs, as many times as you need.
What ministry leaders say about my other resources
Gather at the Manger is new this year, so these notes come from women who used other Loving Christ Ministries resources with their groups.
"Very inclusive with lots of tools to help gather friends for a party or even a mini-retreat to help get our hearts and minds ready for the Christmas Season."
"I purchased the Falling in Love with Jesus bundle to use for our first ever Fall Tea Women's event. I had a friend from outside the church use the speaker's outline and bring the message to our ladies. The conversation starters were a hit! Thank you for all these resources in one place!"
"This is fabulous, like a retreat in a box… everything I needed wrapped up and just waiting to be opened. We are short on time but with this package we are ready to roll within weeks."
Hi, I'm Julie
I started leading women's ministry in 2006, serving in roles like president and spiritual growth leader. Long before I made a resource for anyone else, I was planning and leading retreats for the women in my own community.
I founded Loving Christ Ministries in 2012, and since then I've created more than 30 printable retreat theme bundles used by churches and ministry leaders across the country.
Of all the gatherings on the church calendar, the Christmas one is the easiest to put off. Everyone agrees it matters. It's just hard to find the hours to plan it in a month that's already full.
So I put everything I'd want in my own hands into one kit, built around the shepherds who went to the manger together. You can lead something meaningful without burning yourself out.
Common questions
What do I get, and how do I get it?
The 27-page Gather at the Manger kit plus five bonus downloads: the Christmas Scripture Prayer Cards, the Christmas Favor and Gift Tags, the Editable Invitation and Flyer Set, the Welcome and Table Sign Set, and the Volunteer Thank-You Notes. Your download links appear right after checkout, and a copy goes to your email so you have it saved.
Does it work for brunch, dinner, or dessert and coffee?
Yes. The run of show is built for a two-hour gathering at any mealtime, with notes for adjusting the timing to your meal, and the menu guide has a version for each one. If you want more time together, the half-day plan shows you how to stretch it to about four hours.
Do I need a big team or a big budget?
Not at all. For a group of 20 to 30 women, three to five helpers is plenty, and for a smaller group you and two friends can cover everything. The decor guide starts with what your church already owns and gives you a budget-friendly option for every piece.
How do I edit the invitations and flyer?
You have three ways to do it. Type into the fillable PDFs, which work best in the free Adobe Acrobat Reader, or open the Canva or Google Slides template and change anything you like. The template links are in a one-page how-to guide that comes with the bonus.
Which Bible translation does it use?
Scripture is quoted from the NIV. Every passage is referenced, so your women can follow along in whatever Bible they bring.
Will I need to update it next year?
No. Nothing in the kit or the bonuses is tied to a year, so you can use it this Christmas and pull it out again next December.
You don't have to do this the hard way to do it well
The timeline, the script, the devotional, the activity, the menus, and five bonuses, all for $7. Your women get a warm place to sit down together at Christmas, and you get to enjoy it with them.
Get the Christmas Event Kit for $7