January Recognition Evening
by Lorena Brown
 

I like the idea of snowflakes. You can even continue the idea with the fresh, pure snow that softly drifts from Heaven. The girls are a gift from heaven, each unique and pure and add to the welfare of mankind. The Faith in God program helps the girls with their development of goals and the talents that each one is given, and they will continue to enlighten and give a beauty to all who come in contact with them.

Add twinkly white lights to the room, or even if you have the icicle lights - you can hang those around the room. Have the girls cut out lots of snowflakes to add to the ambiance of the room. If there are any of those fake ficus trees around, you could even add the white lights to those, and hang a few smaller snowflakes to them. Since it's after Christmas, you may be able to find a few after Christmas sale items (decorations) with snowflakes to give to them as a 'gift'. 

ADDITIONAL IDEAS WITH THIS THEME by Marie:

INVITATIONS: My invites are on blue construction paper. I got rolls of foam at Wal-mart and cut into strips with white snowmen shapes on sale for $1.00 a roll (can make 16 invites out of it). Putting it on one of the shorter sides and then folding other short side to the top of the snowmen. Had Snowflake Angel Poem on front of a blue piece if construction paper. Scrap of blue/silver/white/purple wrapping paper with snowflakes on it was frame for poem... Inside was written: "Please come and enjoy what your snowflake is becoming!" We invited family and friends and dressed in Sunday clothes . On the bottom of the invitation was a line of snowmen.

DECORATIONS: Nice Relief Society table clothes. Centerpieces will be baskets that I've spray painted a purplish blue and will have battery operated white lights and silver/blue/green/purple glass ornaments inside. Also had sequins in same colors which was snowflakes and snowmen scattered on tables. The refreshment table had a lighted artificial pine bough on the back and was wrapped in lavender glittery ribbon. I got enough snowmen votive holders on sale after Christmas for .50 a piece to use on refreshment table and let each girl take one home. They were in the same colors. I have gotten some winter confetti which has snowflakes, snowmen, etc. in them in a silver, purple, blue, white mixture.

FOOD: Made gingerbread snowman cookies with blue sugar sprinkles and sugar cookie snowflake cookies with purple sugar sprinkles. Had Blue Corn chips with white dip. Had treasures chocolates sprinkled around trays on table in purple and fushia wrappers. Had clear sparkling soda to drink.

MUSIC: A Celtic harp CD ...very peaceful...

PROGRAM: Talked about program for new members. Recognized who had done what. Asked each girl to tell her favorite activity and why. Said closing prayer and ate refreshments. We had great attendance.
The girls were very grown up. I was glad we did this in Sunday dress. The low lighting was very magical and they really seemed to enjoy that. The cost was very low because I got everything at after Christmas sales or used specific colors of my decorations from Christmas before they were all put away. The general theme idea is a small pretty snowflake can become great things and here is how we have done and will do that.

P.S.   I did give away votive candle holders filled with candy which were used as part of the decorations.... I had gotten them after Christmas for .50 a piece......My thought was that we should just make the girls feel good about what was done. I went girl by girl asking them what their favorite thing was that was done and why and then telling which girls had accomplished what goal.