On Christmas Day, the doors of First Presbyterian Church will open with a simple goal: no one should spend the holiday alone. The church will host a free Christmas Day dinner on Thursday, December 25, 2025, welcoming anyone who wishes to share a meal, a conversation, or a quiet moment of fellowship.
The church, located at 181 Jefferson Street near the Clarkesville Square, will serve dinner from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Darrin Johnston organizes the event. Guests may choose to dine in, carry out, or use the drive-thru. There is no cost to attend and no requirement beyond showing up and being willing to receive hospitality.
This Christmas dinner stands as one of the church’s largest outreach efforts of the year. Organizers say they are prepared to serve as many as 600 plates of food—and more if needed, ensuring that no one who comes is turned away hungry or lonely. The scale reflects the church’s commitment to meeting the needs of the community on a day that carries deep emotional weight for many families and individuals.
While the Christmas dinner is its own event, it draws inspiration from the spirit that has long defined the Clarkesville Community Thanksgiving—the belief that shared meals matter most when they come without conditions. Church leaders emphasize that this is a separate, church-hosted Christmas gathering, distinct from the community Thanksgiving meal, but guided by a similar conviction that holidays carry meaning when people gather around a table together.
Volunteers will arrive at 8 a.m. on Christmas morning to prepare food, organize service, and welcome guests. Donations have already been made to support the meal, provide gifts, and cover additional needs for the day. The focus remains on presence rather than ceremony, offering warmth in a season that can feel isolating.
Organizers recognize that Christmas can just as easily magnify loneliness as it does joy. Some guests may come for a hot meal. Others may come for conversation, or to even eat in silence enjoying the sight of old friends greeting each other by name. Some elderly guests, missing their grandchildren, smile at children dressed in Christmas-themed clothing, while volunteers work alongside their own families to offer plates of food and cups of holiday cheer. The church intends to make room for everyone, without asking why they came. Only serving.
For more information about the Christmas Day dinner or volunteering, the church office can be reached at 706-754-2935.
On a day defined by tradition and memory, First Presbyterian Church offers something simple yet vital: a place at the table, ready and waiting.
