December 1999 Holiday Magic

Closing Down The Year

CUBMASTER: Well it's that time again--time to close out the year. But this year is special because we not only say good-bye to the year 1999, but we bid farewell to the decade of the 90s, we close out the twentieth Century, and, alas, we step beyond the second millennium, AD. That's quite a bit to do all at once, but we can and we do.

And while good-byes are not always the easiest things to say, we can at least look forward to the next year, the next decade, the next century, and the next millennium. The ones we leave behind have been good to us, let's pray that the ones we welcome in are even more generous, more fulfilling, and, especially, more peaceful! Happy holidays, Best wishes in the new times to come, and Good night!

Holiday Magic Advancement

[Note that this and other ceremonies should be reviewed and modified to suit the specific awards being giving at the meeting. This ceremony is written so that any particular award can be used or omitted without impacting the whole of the ceremony.]

CUBMASTER: Holiday Magic is our theme tonight, and with that in mind, we celebrate some real magic with the Cubs in our Pack. I say this because there is a sense of magic in the way our Cub Scouts have grown over the past few months. Sure they've grown physically--our parents can attest to that what with all of the food these guys have been eating and all the new clothes that the boys have already outgrown. But beyond the physical, the Cub Scouts have been growing in mind and spirit as well. And there is real magic in that. It doesn't come from shoveling more food into them; it's almost like they get it out of nowhere. Let's take a look…

The magic starts with the boys becoming Bobcats. We start with someone who is new to the Cub Scout program, give them a book and some help from the Den and his parents, and the next thing you know he knows and understands the Cub Scout "basics." He knows the Cub Scout Promise and the Law of the Pack; the Motto, Salute, Handshake, and Scout Sign; and the meaning of Webelos; and he is better equipped to handle difficult situations that we hope and pray won't come his way. But he's really grown, and not from a drop of water or a morsel of food. He has gained a very special something by sheer will power and work. Magical!

(BOBCAT)

Tonight's Advancement Magic begins with some boys in our Pack who have earned the Bobcat rank. [List names of Bobcat recipients and call them with their parents to the front of the room.]

I told you that the boys learn and grow like magic as they complete the eight steps of Bobcat. Let's ask them to join us now in the Cub Scout Promise. [Direct everyone to recite the Promise.]

This is the time I like best because I get to celebrate with the boys and their parents the hard waork they've done. But I also know it has been the boys and their families that have worked hard together. So I don't award the badges to the boys and I don't ask the Den Leader to award them either, we ask the families to award the boys their badges. [Hand parents the awards to present to the boys and congratulate them with the Cub Scout handshake. Offer an applause and ask them to take their seats.]

The magic doesn't end with the Bobcat! In fact, that is but the start of the magic. As with Holiday Magic, the magic only begins with the first candle or the first special decoration. In the Cub Scout program, the next step (for the second grade) is the Wolf advancement. Again the magic is overwhelming. Here you take a boy who has just begun to really read the "bigger people" books--maybe he's begun to write in cursive. But he's growing and learning so, so much! In Cub Scouts he's doing all sorts of really neat activities.

(WOLF)

Tonight we are happy to present the Wolf badge to the following boys. [List names and invite them with their parents to come forward.] I mentioned that these guys have been doing all sorts of neat things. I'd like them to tell you some of the things they enjoyed most in completing their 12 achievements. [Ask boys to tell some of the things they've done. You might want to prep them ahead of time so they're not caught off guard.]