Maralee Boreman

Well, if you have never met Maralee, you must!  She is so sweet and full of joy!  Her style is cute and trendy and her decorating ideas are amazing!   I love that at the end of each of her interview answers she put a smiley face!  :)  She is so happy and we LOVE having her on our Women's Ministries Team!  Thanks Maralee!

How many years have you been organizing Holiday Extravaganza?

I have been involved in Holiday Extravaganza for the past 12 years! It is a passion of mine!

I spent many years decorating the stage, the hallways and  decorating tables.  For a few years I decorated the tables we didn't have enough table decorators for.  One year I remember I did 12 tables plus the give away tables!!! So much fun! I hauled alot of stuff that year!  I am especially thankful that we have had decorators for all of our tables the past several years! I love to see the new ideas they come up with each year!
I spoke one year about my "Christmas Memories" and included my brother who was home for leave from Desert Storm.  I have met many wonderful new friends and I have enjoyed every aspect of this event!

I plan and dream Holiday Extravaganza all year long! I love that we can share themes that give the women a new perspective! Although tradition suggests red and green, and we love traditions....it is fun sometimes to step outside tradition.  The tastes of the women that attend are as varied as the number of women attending! :)

Who are the other team members that have helped you with this BIG event?

We have such a fun committee!:)

DONNA YOST is of course our amazing Director of Women's Ministry! She is an organizational wonder, our cheerleader and our liason with the church leadership. It is such a priviledge  to work on this event with her!

CATHY SIMMS heads up our kitchen as well as taking care of our office needs.  She has planned our desserts for both evenings for  years and up until last year she had a cookie buffet on one end of the church and then served cookies at the tables the next evening on the other end of the church.  She puts together a team each year that sorts and makes up all those trays of cookies! She is a wonderful detail person and makes the big job she has look effortless!

TERI HOSTETLER and her daughter ASHLEY KINNEBREW do a fabulous job organizing our greeters, preparing everything for the table decorators and giving them direction decorating day.  They help us with all the details that come up from set up through tear down. Teri and Ashey have a wonderful eye for design and I am excited that they are decorating our give away tables this year so, look forward to a special treat when you see their "Christmas By The Sea" tables! 

CHRISTINE WYCKOFF and WANDA DOOHAN are invaluable as our facility gals!  They work with our stores and assist them with set up and take care of their needs.  They make sure all the signage is up, doors are open, details are in place.  They have a tiring job and always have a smile on their faces! They are an encouragement to our committee!

JANENE NAGEL and RUTH ANN KNIGHT are our immensely talented decorating team! They transform the halls and the stage into a beautiful reflection of our theme for the year.  They are tireless in their hunt for the perfect decorating items and have a wonderful knack for putting it all together.  Their ability  for just the right touches and their creativity make them an integral part of the Holiday Extravaganza team.

JULIE LAWSON is our program gal! I think if you have been to Holiday Extravaganza and heard Julie speak, you know what an amazing gift she has! She can share the Lord in such a warm, wonderful,  fun, and real way! We are blessed to have her a part of our committee.  When I watch Julie the day we are decorating in the Family Life Center praying for each of the women that will be attending the event...my heart gets way excited! She is our sweet  prayer warrior!

LYNNETTE STONE is our new ticket chairman! We are very excited to welcome her to our committee! She is going to be a great asset and has taken on a very big job! She will be jumping right in as she prepares the tickets and paperwork to get all set for the opening week of sales!  Lynnette will be assisted by Toni Schmitt who will take care of all of the calls that come in to our ticket line.  They will be a wonderful team and you will get to meet them at the ticket tables!

My daughter SARAH DOSS enjoys Holiday Extravaganza almost as much as I do and we have had so much fun together over the years planning, shopping and dreaming Holiday Extravaganza.  She loves to help whenever she can be home!:)

What is the most exciting part for you with planning this event?

Well, it is certainly no secret that I love love love this event !  Planning the theme for the year, meeting with the committee and seeing the details all come together is certainly exciting ...but even more exciting than all those favorite things is knowing that we must not only plan a warm wonderful welcome for all the women and certainly for those who may be visiting Grace for the first time... an inviting, visually enticing atmosphere for them,  but we must plan how we will introduce the women that may not know Jesus to Him!!!  That is by far the most exciting part for me!:)

  
How can we pray for you and the team during this time before Holiday Extravaganza?

As with any event we do...there are always distractions and obstacles...the closer we get...the more that happens.

It would be so cool if you could pray...

For our team as the girls  juggle the details of their responsibilites on the committee along with their personal lives.

For all of us to remain focused on the most important part of this event...sharing Jesus' love with the women that attend and that we center the details around Him

For Julie, of course, as she prepares to share her heart  and  Jesus with the 1000 or so women that will attend! 

For our stores - Coblentz Chocolate and Quailcrest as they prepare to move a good portion of their inventory to our facility.  Let us be an encouragement to them.

For our music team - Holly & Matt as they practice and prepare

For the hearts of the women that will be attending and that first time women can be invited!

For ticket sales to go smoothly for the Lynnette and Toni and that we can accomodate everyone that would like tickets

What is your favorite verse you would like to share with women to encourage them?

I have so many favorite verses and I have always had trouble picking my "favorite" :)

In light of Holiday Extravaganza I would like to share Matthew 1:20,21 ...an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins" 

What are your hobbies/interests?

I totally enjoy family time, girlfriend time, decorating, reading, writing letters, time at the lake, planning and organizing events, my office and my house. :)

Any last thoughts you would like to share with our bloggers.

I so hope that you will have the opportunity to join us at Holiday Extravaganza this year! Invite a friend and  enjoy with us the beginning of a beautiful Christ-centered Christmas season! It is my thought you will go home encouraged and motivated ! :)