One little tree, more than a hundred tags of hopes for the New Year. One buffet of turkey dinner, a room of full tummies. One market of homemade goods, many happy makers and customers. One circle of stories and a world of listening hearts.
The PLAN Holiday Celebration was special this past season with so many little moments of joy and connection, it would take a month to share them all!
Coming together around the holiday season is a longtime tradition for the PLAN community. But this year there was some extra special magic that shimmered around families and staff. We find ourselves at an exciting and poignant moment in our growth as a community.
There are younger families joining in with innovative new ideas and senior families grieving the loss of their loved ones as they reflect on their lifelong journey and relationships.
These different dynamics brought an alchemy of connection for families and a gift for everyone who was in attendance. With this span of experience and the opportunities to connect and share together, families could enjoy the holiday celebration as well as witness and reflect on what ‘lifetime’ truly means.
From our Story Circle, we heard from Phyllis about her family’s experience planning for the future and building a network with her daughter and also a wish for world peace. She brought the outside world into the room and we were given the opportunity to consider how what we are fostering here with one another can resonate within our broader communities and beyond.
Along with celebrating Todd’s legacy of loving parties and music, Glory bravely shared some of her grieving process with us. She spoke of the heaviness of loss and how walking through this together with her friends and loved ones have carried her through.
Kaela spoke of how excited she is for what lies ahead with her successful schooling and what home may look like in the near future as she carries thoughts of her loved ones with her always.
And Ray, by simply mentioning his IKEA dad’s group to the whole gathering, garnered a whole new swell of interest and excitement for engaging in fun ways.
Shelley and Barb then opened up the conversation to the whole group to note down on tags at their tables what their hopes for the year to come may be. Given a chance to reflect together, families, network members and friends mixed together a strong potion of intention for the future. These tags were hung on a tree for all to witness the strength of pooling our ideas together.
Our market tables were jumping with excited shoppers and talented makers. The holiday napkins I bought from Cecilia graced my family Christmas table and will do so for years to come! And the raffle brought its own thrills with joyful winners of fabulous baskets. Our amazing photographer, Emily, insightfully captured so many beautiful moments.
Food from the Lazy Gourmet, service from our dedicated and festive Mentor team, decoration and organization from our directors and most importantly, full commitment from our amazing community of families created pure gold in the sum of all its parts.
Anchored with deep gratitude, renewed energy and true curiosity for the year ahead, let us stir together these magical ingredients and propel ourselves into an exciting 2026!