Brighten Spirits with a Quick Caroling Party
Plan A Caroling Party
Despite the hustle and bustle of last minute preparations that are keeping you busy, how about spending a few minutes planning a great treat for your friend? This idea will brighten the season for your friend and his/her family, and probably be one of the highlights of the season for everyone who participates.
Here are super easy step-by-step instructions to plan a caroling party:
1. Find a Family Insider
Call someone in your friend’s family to suggest or ask for a date/time that is best for them. Shhhh!!! If you want this to be a surprise, be sure you enlist the family member who can keep the secret but also coordinate that the family will be home and ‘ready’ for guests (in other words, awake & presentable!).
2. Agree on When and Where
Set a time to meet (and then tell everyone to be there 15 minutes before that!) and choose a place near your friend's house where everyone can park and walk together. This way they won't be tipped off by all of the familiar cars showing up at the same time.
3. Pick 5 Easy Songs Everyone Knows
It's important to pick songs that don't require your carolers to actually be able to sing. You can always count on a few who can carry a tune (and the group), but you can also count on some who can't so plan accordingly. In other words, skip the Hallelujah Chorus and stick to the basics like Frosty and Jingle Bells. And, it's usually a good idea to let people know you'll be singing the first verse only. Otherwise, you could end up with a lot of head scratching and lip syncing.
A few song ideas:
Jingle Bells
Frosty The Snowman
Deck The Halls
O Come, All Ye Faithful
Joy To The World
The First Noel
We Wish You A Merry Christmas
Away In A Manger
Silent Night
4. Send an Invitation
Inviting a group of friends is as easy as copying and pasting our sample invitation (shown here) and filling in a few details. You can use your own email service, share on Facebook, or if you have a WhatFriendsDo team, send a message to the team that way. (If you don't, now might be the time to thinking about getting one!)
Dear Friends –
'Tis the season to be jolly, to give the gift of love and share joys. What better way to do all of that for [friend’s name] than sing carols!
Please join me at [time] on [date] to spread some holiday cheer! We’ll meet at [spot] at [address], walk to [friend’s name]’s house and sing the first verse of these five songs: (list songs).
We won’t stay long – we won’t even be taking our coats off. If you choose to bring along a small gift to leave for [friend’s name] and his/her family, that would be great, but it is not necessary.
Invite other friends to join us – let’s assemble a huge chorus of friends!!
See you [date]!
[Your name]
[Your cell #]
5. Review the Plan
Once everyone has gathered, review the plan for the caroling. Let them know which songs you'll be singing and that you'll only be singing the first verse. Remind them that this will be a quick in & out event. Collect any gifts, cards or signs and walk as a group to your friend's home.
6. Sing to Your Heart's Content
Now is not the time to be shy. You've gathered to bring your friend some holiday cheer so sing your heart out, whether or not you can sing. As we often find, after participating in this, you'll be reminded that giving to others is also a gift to yourself. You're sure to head home with songs you can't get out of your head and more holiday spirit in your heart.
Want help organizing? We’re here for you!
If you have a WhatFriendsDo team, email us (info@WhatFriendsDo.com) and we’ll get the email sent and info onto your team page. You just tell us the date and location, then send us photos to post on your team page.
Beyond lifting spirits and spreading cheer, our goal at WhatFriendsDo is to make supporting your friend in their time of need as easy as possible. Creating a team page is the best way to rally the help of your friend’s support system and keep everyone posted on how they can assist. Create a WhatFriendsDo team page here or contact us for more information.