The other Harry Potter badges have steps to provide you with material for day camp, afternoon camps and other non-holiday activities. Some of those activities can be adjusted slightly and used with a Christmas theme. This badge program focuses on the happenings in the Harry Potter world during Christmas.
Steps
Event possibilities
1. Event featuring food.
A feast can take an entire day to prepare. From deciding what to serve to preparation to enjoying the final product, an entire event can be held around learning about English food and those dishes specifically mentioned in the Harry Potter saga. Typically, large meals are prepared and enjoyed around festive occasions, such as Christmas. See the Enrichment Project supplement Harry Potter_Feast Recipes.pdf for food ideas for this event.
2. Yule ball event.
While this was mentioned in a previously released badge program, create an event around the ball only. Start with teaching your kids various dances, tips for “dressing up” including applying make-up, making decorations and more activities that can go into preparing for a dance. Then hold your ball.
3. A very Weasley Christmas.
Picture Christmas at the Burrows. From knitting scarves and hats to homemade treats, you can bring a family Christmas to your troop, group or even do this as a service project, donating the items you make to a homeless shelter or other needy organization.
4. Hogwart’s Christmas.
Most years, there are more staff than students that stay at Hogwart’s for the holidays. Try a toned-down theme featuring decorating a Christmas tree with homemade ornaments and readings from “The Tales of Beedle the Bard”. See the EP supplement Harry Potter_Ornaments.pdf for ornament ideas. What other ideas can you come up with?
5. Host a party for others.
Create a Hogwart’s Christmas for others — younger troops, children at a homeless shelter, etc. Incorporate ideas from the event ideas above or from the specific activities below.
Specific activities
6. Quick list from events.
Below is a quick list of possible activities mentioned in the Christmas ideas above. Feel free to mix and match these into your own unique Christmas celebration.
- Create a Christmas feast
- Share a Christmas feast
- Enjoy a Christmas feast
- Dancing
- Proper attire for a ball
- Making decorations
- Knit hats and scarves
- Make homemade gift treats
- Decorate a Christmas tree
- Make Hogwart’s inspired ornaments
- Listen to stories from “The Tales of Beedle the Bard”
7. Donate a tree.
Instead of putting up and decorating a tree, place the tree in a public location. Create your own ornaments or ask others to help decorate the tree. Exchange ornaments on the tree for gifts for needy families. Brainstorm your own exchange program, places that would appreciate a specially decorated tree, etc.
8. Sleigh rides.
Sleigh rides are a wonderful way to spread holiday cheer as the bells ring across the snow. You can do them for your own group or share them with the public and request they share the Christmas spirit as you have with them.
9. Magical bonfire.
Taken from the “Harry Potter: Science” badge program (Step 8), gather your ingredients to make your fire magical. Instead of being in a small fireplace, create a bonfire outside to enjoy readings or songs.
10. Hogwart’s carols.
From dressing in white as caroling ghosts to enjoying traditional caroling, Christmas is the most musical of the holidays. Be sure to practice with your group before starting out and perhaps even provide a small songbook with the lyrics for use during the event as well as a memento for participants to keep.
11. Snow sculpture contest.
Create snow sculptures of the architecture, creatures or even characters from Harry Potter. If you want to add color, provide spray bottles mixed with colorant. Keep these bottles warmed so they don’t freeze. Be sure to provide an area to warm up with refreshments.
12. Secret Santa.
Harry received more than one present anonymously – the invisible cloak and the Firebolt are just two examples. Host a Secret Santa exchange and reveal the gift givers at a special event.
13. Socks everywhere!
Allow everyone to bring and decorate one or more pairs of socks.
You might even want to play “Dobby’s Mismatched Socks” game. Provide each participant a pair of mismatched socks in a wrapped box. Everyone opens their box to find their gift. They then must trade socks, one at a time, until they have a pair. They may have to trade for a sock they don’t want because someone who has their sock wants a different one. The prize is each person gets a pair of socks and perhaps a nice card from Dobby.
14. Painting fun.
Pair off your participants. Let them paint a portrait of each other. Be sure to emphasize that it doesn’t have to be an exact likeness, it can be abstract or more realistic. Be sure to incorporate Harry Potter elements into the painting.
15. Camping in the wilderness.
While your tents might not be like Hermoine’s, camping in the wilderness during the holidays is a lot more likely to happen if your girls are active in other groups. Most clubs and groups don’t do much during the holidays, so use this time wisely. You might even want to decorate the trees outside the cabin with nuts and berries for our feathered and furry friends.
16. Hogwart’s Christmas candy.
Inspired by Honeyduke’s? Ask everyone to bring their favorite sweet treats for an exchange. Provide rules for sharing before the event to eliminate misunderstanding. You might also like to make some at the event like taffy or bar cookies.
17. Costume contest.
Ask everyone to dress up as their favorite Harry Potter character, Including Muggles. Rate them on their outfits as well as how well they play the role they’ve selected.
18. Share your ideas.
Do you have more Hogwart’s Christmas ideas? We’d love to hear them. Send them directly to me or post them to our blog at larajla.com.
Supplements Available
Sites to Explore
- harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Christmas_at_Hogwarts
- harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Christmas
- www.celebrations360.com/index.php/how-to-host-a-harry-potter-christmas-party-5612
- www.wikihow.com/Hold-a-Harry-Potter-Party
- www.tumblr.com/tagged/harry-potter-party
- melissacreates.com/tag/harry-potter-christmas-party
- britishfood.about.com/od/introtobritishfood/tp/harrypotterfavorites.htm chowhound.chow.com/topics/787195
- www.squidoo.com/harry-potter-christmas-ornaments
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tales_of_Beedle_the_Bard
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