One of the most wonderful times of the year is Christmas and one of the most exciting events of the Christmas season is the church bazaar. Everyone looks forward to this event as it brings people together and gives us the chance to see folks we haven't seen in a while. But planning a Christmas bazaar is a lot of work. If you're planning on doing one, here are just a few of the things that you're going to want to do.

The first thing you're going to want to do is pick a date and make sure the church is available for that date. The last thing you want is for the minister to tell you that he's got a wedding planned for that day. Saturdays before the Sunday service are usually the best time. You want the date to be close to Christmas but not too close. The first or second week of the month is best.

The next thing you need to do is put out a sign up sheet to see who is going to be setting up tables. This is your main attraction at the bazaar so you want to make sure there are plenty of tables and a good variety of things to sell. You might want to also set up some specialty tables as well, like maybe one to take photos or maybe a table to print out cards showing what happened on your birthday. You'll need a computer and a special program for that. These things usually go over very well and are great money makers.

You'll also want to make sure that you plan to have a lunch setup. Keep the menus simple and the prices fair. People love to eat in between shopping but they don't want to pay a fortune for it either. Have a few different kinds of desserts and drinks available like soda, coffee and tea.

One of the biggest sellers at a Christmas bazaar is the bake shop. This is a lot of work but it is worth it. Have as many people as possible bake cookies and cakes the day before and bring them down to the church to have them bagged and weighed. You want to sell things by the pound. Keep your prices fair and you'll make out very well. Depending on how much is baked, you could make $500 or more just from the bake shop alone.

Finally, you want to make sure that everything is set up the day before. The bazaar should start around 9 or 10 in the morning and it should run until about 3 or 4 in the afternoon. Make sure you have a Santa there to take photos with the kids. You don't have to hire one specially. You can recruit one of the church members who fits the costume to fill the part. You're certain to get at least one volunteer.

By keeping a checklist and making sure that everything on it is done, your bazaar is certain to come off without too many hitches.