Photo by: jawcey
With the holiday season in full swing, sorority and fraternity chapters are finding new and innovative ways to celebrate and spread the cheer. If your own chapter is in need of a little holiday invigoration, or if your members need an outlet for their holiday joy, here are some great ideas to spread the joy and celebrate the season.
Cookies, Cookies… and more Cookies!
Take a trip back to second grade with a evening of baking and decorating cookies. For those chapters without a Martha Stuart in the sisterhood, buying pre-made cookie dough can make things easier and faster. Or, if your sorority sisters want a challenge, bring the baking pans and make your cookies from scratch.
If your fraternity or sorority wants to decorate cookies rather than bake them, we recommend sugar or gingerbread cookies as these are the easiest to work with. Once you have the cookies, don’t forget the decorations. Cookie decorations range from the traditional chocolate chips, sprinkles, and icing to the more unique such as small candy, small cookies (placed on top of the larger cookie), and edible glitter. Lastly, remember the tools such as knives, spoons, and bowls to hold the treats.
Gingerbread Houses
Along the same lines of decorating cookies, making gingerbread houses can be just as fun whether you’re ten or twenty years old. If your chapter has the money, make things easier and buy gingerbread house kits for your members. However, if you’re on a budget (as most of us are), opt to buy your items separately (pre-made gingerbread, icing, candy, etc.). Just make sure you have enough for everyone! Finally, if your fraternity brothers or sorority sisters like a little competition, make the event a contest with your chapter voting at the end. Awards can include prettiest, most inventive, best use of candy or icing, and incorporation of the chapter’s greek letters.
Holiday Philanthropy
As the holidays are also a time to remember the less fortunate, a holiday philanthropy can be a great way to spread cheer and help those in need. Philanthropy ideas include a canned food drive, volunteering at a local soup kitchen, handing out food to the homeless, and a winter clothes drive. Additionally, consider inviting other fraternity and sorority chapters to your event or even inviting your entire campus. After all, the more the merrier!
Holiday Cards
The holidays are a great time to show your appreciation and love, and what better way than homemade holiday cards. Get out the puffy paint, glitter, and construction paper, and spend a few hours being crafty for the ones you love. Additionally, you can tweak the event and make holiday appreciation cards for troops overseas, the local police and fire departments, or the elderly at a retirement home. If you choose a local organization, consider scheduling time for your chapter to drop off the cards, meet some of the people, and maybe take a picture or two.
Caroling
Although normally associated with Christmas, caroling can be applied to just about any holiday. Go caroling through your Greek community, or put in the extra effort and expand your audience to nearby neighborhoods. You can sing Christmas and Chanukah songs, or round out your repertoire with some unique, chapter-made songs. As your fraternity or sorority already has experience changing song lyrics for serenades and recruitment, put your skills to good use and sing some original jingles. Caroling can be a great chapter bonding activity, or invite other fraternities and sororities and use the opportunity to meet other Greeks. Also, don’t forget the holiday gear! Dress up in holiday sweaters, Santa hats, and even reindeer antlers to give your carolers an extra boost of holiday cheer.