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.]

 
As with the other badges, we know who has been right there along side these Wolves helping them complete their achievements.  So again, we ask the parents to please award the boys their Wolf badges.  [Hand out badges to parents to give to the boys.  Congratulate them and offer a suitable applause.  Have them sit down.]





No magic show--holiday or not--ends with the first act.  And so it is with our Advancement Magic.  The next act begins with an understanding that "I" am not the center of all.  In fact, it starts with the understanding that God is the center of all.  That's why the first achievement in our next rank is focused on our life with God.  And it continues with completing requirements that focus on our country, our family and then ourselves.  It's a special time of year; that's why tonight's theme is Holiday Magic.  And that special time, regardless of our personal faith, is focused on celebrating the wonders our God has done for us.  And I think it's especially fitting that the Bear badge begins with its focus on God and our faith.  





(BEAR)





So let's recognize the boys who have been working so hard and have completed their requirements in the areas of God, Country, Family and Self.  [List off Bear candidate names and invite them and their parents to the front of the room.]





We know these guys have done a lot of hard work to get to this point.  But in celebration of the season, we are especially interested in learning what you did for Achievement 1 or 2.  Can some of you share that with us now?  [Ask boys to tell some of the things they did as part of Achievement 1 or 2.  WARNING!!! You really need to let them know ahead of time so they can remember what they did.]





[Hand parents the awards to present to the boys and congratulate them.  Offer an applause and ask them to take their seats.]





And the magic continues!  When we think of these Cub Scouts magically changing, I don't think there is a better example than the changes that happen in the 4th and 5th grades, when they start to move out more independently.  In the 4th grade, the boys begin the Webelos program.  Here they start to "be their own boss."  They are now asked to work on requirements in the Activity Badge areas more or less on their own and then report how they are doing to their den leaders.  And as they complete specific Activity Badges and some requirements that help them get ready for Boy Scouts, they earn the Webelos badge.





(WEBELOS)





Tonight our Pack has some boys who have been doing just that.  [List names and invite them with their parents to come forward.]  These guys have worked hard.  They have earned the Physical Fitness Activity Badge and at least two others and they have studied some of the basic requirements of the Boy Scout program.  We award them with the Webelos badge.





[Hand parents the awards to present to the boys and congratulate them.  Offer an applause and ask them to take their seats.]





Finally, we come to the "grand finale" of our own little magic show--the biggest, most difficult, "trick" is always the closing act.  It's all been really special, but the last piece is always the best.  And in the Cub Scout program, it's no different.  For those Cub Scouts who have really applied themselves and have really done their best, we have a special recognition.  After the Webelos Scout has completed his Webelos badge and completed even more Activity Badges, after he has actively participated in his den, and after he has demonstrated that he truly is ready to become a Boy Scout, knowing and understanding the requirements just as a boy earning the Scout badge in Boy Scouts, he earns the Arrow of Light Award.  





(ARROW OF LIGHT)





Tonight's Advancement Magic program is topped with our awarding the Arrow of Light to the boys who have truly earned it.  [List names and invite them with their parents to come forward.]  These fellows have worked hard, really applied themselves, and have proven to their Den Leaders, their parents, and most importantly, to themselves, that they are ready to become Boy Scouts.  


[Hand boys the parent's Arrow of Light pins to present to their parents.  Then give parents the awards to present to the boys and congratulate them.  Offer an applause and ask them to take their seats.]





It's a really magical season.  There is a special magic in the air.  People seem to take special notice and show an extra bit of kindness to one another.  And just as we wish for this kind of magic to continue the whole year through, we hope that the magic of our Cub Scouts' hard work and growing stays strong the whole year long.