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0 Happy New Year! We had a very busy Christmas season here at Lydia’s House and much merriment was had by all.
We launched into Christmas with our annual Christmas Party. This year we hosted at the Red Balloon Cafe and Play Space in Pleasant Ridge. It was great to gather with former guests and volunteers to ring in the season! We started the night off with some lively Christmas carol singing and filling our bellies with delicious Mazunte tacos and desserts. After dinner, the kids were able to enjoy the play space and the adults had fun playing Christmas themed games where drawing skills were definitely tested!
On Christmas Eve, our very own Laura Menze hosted a small dinner gathering at Lydia’s House for former guests and staff that included a special menu of shrimp and cheesy grits, collard greens, biscuits, a fruit salad, and a homemade cheese cake! Everyone agreed that it was a meal that should definitely be replicated for many Christmas Eves to come.
In early January, Lydia’s House staff and a few former guests and their families were able to go to attend winter family camp at the Procter Retreat Center in London, OH. Procter Camp is a ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio and offers a place for kids and families to grow in faith, learn, and play together.
We arrived on a Friday just in time for a hot dinner and time to get to know other families who had traveled out for the weekend. Many faces were familiar from family camp last summer, so it was fun to reconnect and see old friends. The weekend was full of activity!
Many days started with singing and dancing together that flowed into many different activities, from zumba dance to winter hikes around the farm, and playing board games while drinking hot cocoa! All families were also given the opportunity to reflect on ways to bring more creativity to family prayer and mindfulness practice through creating family altars and mindfulness jars to inspire collective ritual in the day to day life.
However, the best event definitely had to be making gingerbread houses from scratch! Everyone creations were wonderfully unique, inspiring, and definitely delicious. We had a few more traditional houses, lake scenes, trains, a log cabin, and even a gingery re-creation of Lydia’s House!
Thank you for your continued support of our work at Lydia’s House. We look forward to a joyful and surprising 2019.
