Music!

At most of the previous churches I served, lining up "special music"* was always challenging and stressful. Folk express willingness and even eagerness to sing or play a solo, but selecting a date and a piece of music goes about as smoothly as the typical labor negotiation. (I even had one diva who would go through the process and then cancel last minute, almost every time. I started "forgetting" to put her information in the bulletin to make it a happy surprise when she actually sang, rather than a disappointment when she didn't.)

My current church? For Christmas Eve, in addition to choir and handbells, we'll have two vocal solos and two duets (different soloists and pairings)-- and they all volunteered and provided music with no prompting at all! And they are all good at what they do, and fun to work with!

* In a church, the general understanding of "special music" is anything except the usual choir or organ. So my music is never "special." (But it is valued, at my current church.)