Parties & Programs: Connectivity At Christmas

In a sea of “connectivity” around the world, we have lost the art of face to face time I was reminded this past weekend. My husband and I hosted a business Christmas party at our house which we do with different customers and friends each year. My sister captured me in the chaotic moment of getting all the food served. And by the way, since this is the first time since October I’ve actually blogged about everyday prairie life, I chopped off my hair to bring out my inner Miranda Lambert. Shortest my hair has been in ten years or so and I love it. Back to parties and programs.Christmas parties are a lot of work, because I create them to be. But I do it, with plenty of help from family and friends, because we value the relationships and connections we have with people, in our business, community, churches and families. 

I also do it because I feel like this is a special season for connecting offline. If it’s not in your habit or routine to venture out anymore, you can change that this season. It doesn’t matter how big or small your town or family is. You can find a way to plug-in with people at Christmas.

Last night it was our first Christmas program for our kids. In a “sounds complicated to other people but clear to us” situation, we attend two churches. One church in our small town on Sunday mornings and another in a nearby small town on Sunday evenings. The first program was at our Sunday evening church in Streeter, North Dakota, Recharge Church. We will have two more school Christmas programs and our small town church Christmas Eve program spread across the next two and a half weeks. I am sharing pictures from both the Recharge program and Christmas party here today. 

The parties don’t end just yet. This week it’s a birthday party for first graders and a few more friends and then some fabulous ladies for coffee that will visit. Next week we will host a small group at our house for a monthly Bible study and share in some Christmas cheer.Is it too much? Not this year. I planned for it and have the ability to pull it off with a lot of help and a dose of reality. As my husband said late Saturday night, “Don’t open the laundry room closet or it’s like reliving Home Alone.” He made the dreaded mistake of opening the laundry room closet. Reality check is that if my house looks picked up, it’s because all random totes and clutter have been carefully balanced into the laundry room closet. 

I love being connected in, working in and speaking on social media strategy, development and execution. It’s truly a love and passion of mine. But my identity is not based on what happens on my blog or on Facebook. Offline action matters more to me.

I wish all of my family and friends I stay connected to through social media could come over for a party, attend a Christmas program with us or at least enjoy a cup of coffee with me “in real life” throughout the year.

But instead, I am left to post pictures of food from our house and those incredibly precious Christmas program moments.

To truly find connectivity this Advent and Christmas season, unplug from social media a bit and connect offline with a few folks. Do you have to host a party, a coffee or a small group? No.

But ask a friend to come over for cocoa, tea, coffee, wine, egg nog, punch, beer, whatever your choice is. It doesn’t matter if your Christmas decorations are up or not. It doesn’t matter if you have the right dishes or not. It’s about people. And I think people are more disconnected from each other than ever before.

Find a local church. Find a local school. Attend their Christmas program or concert. Find your connectivity this season. 

Tomorrow I will be sharing about the below angel, who turns seven years old and was “born on the blog”. Literally, Miss E’s entire life has been documented here. Currently though she is sleeping next to me on the couch, fighting a stomach flu bug. Let’s hope it’s short-lived. She needs to be a healthy, birthday girl tomorrow!