Merry Christmas 2018

There is no denying that our guys love the holiday season!  We had a two day week leading up to our Winter Break, and they joyfully celebrated their friendships with each other.

On Tuesday, Carol and her family welcomed us to their new home where we watched "Home Alone" in the theater room, followed by lunch, games, and fellowship.

Carol set up plenty of extra seating and also served popcorn while we watched the movie!  Our guys laughed a lot and shouted at the screen to encourage "Kevin" as he outwitted the bad guys.

Carol also set tables in three different rooms so we could sit with small groups while eating lunch. 

The friends enjoyed chatting with each other!

We were excited to see them socialize in this type of setting.  It felt very "adult" and was relaxing, too!  

We played a lively game of Christmas Charades.  Alexis grabbed a nearby candle to use as a prop.  Can you tell she was acting out Rudolph?!

Liz did a great job catching snowflakes on her tongue!

In this game, Nan sang verses from Christmas carols and we had to guess which ones they were.  Nan sang extra verses as needed, and we guessed all the carols! 🎶🎄

For dessert, we decorated brownies to look like Christmas trees!

Annmarie nabbed a pair of binoculars which she used to see if she could spot anything on the lake behind Carol's house.  She saw a couple of ducks!

Kacie, Laura, and Sam checked out the bridge that crosses one of the koi pools in Carol's backyard.  We got to help feed the fish.

Thank you, Carol and Gene, for a wonderful holiday time!  We appreciate everything you did to make our 2018 Christmas Outing one we will long remember.  

We kind of referred to our time at Carol's as the "pre-party" because we had quite a celebration planned for Wednesday at AFCC!  We had prepared for days but had a couple of things left to do.  

First up, we made a centerpiece for our potluck luncheon table.  It was our own Christmas tree forest and it looked great on our table!

Next, we decorated bags to put our goodies in to take to our families.  We hope you enjoyed the things we made over the past few weeks.  💚

We included this year's AoA Christmas card in the family bag.  It was a challenge this year to get a picture with everyone present and in their Arc shirts.  The closest we came was this picture taken at Eaton when we went there on December 6 to receive the grant check.  Sixteen of our seventeen associates were with us this day!

  

Unfortunately, our friend Kate wasn't able to make it so she is missing from our card this year.  But she would want to be sure and wish you a "Merry Christmas," too! 

One of the most exciting parts of our last day was the exchange of the Secret Santa gifts!  But we had to hang on until after lunch...

Our luncheon came together very well!  We had plenty of delicious food and festive paper products on which to enjoy it!  Special guests Heike, Tracy, and Ellie stopped by, and Karen (Heike's substitute) was able to join us, too.  Mr. Howard was needed in the school, so we missed him.  Everyone gathered around and Liz and Carol gave thanks for our many blessings.  Thank you, AoA families, for helping to make this day special!  Everything was wonderful!

Finally, it was time to reveal the Secret Santas!  This year we changed things up and instead of playing a gift card game, everyone brought wrapped gifts for their chosen friends.  They did a great job selecting gifts that suited their friends, too!  They really know each other!

Sam is a big fan of Busch Gardens, so he was all smiles to see that Drew had a Christmas Town blanket for him!

Chloe was Kate's Secret Santa and she knows that Kate loves Disney's "Frozen."  She gave Kate a sampling of "Frozen" items that suited Kate to a tee!

According to his mom, Chris, who was traveling with his family and not with us today, was quite excited to select the soundtrack to "Mamma Mia, Here We Go Again!" for Devin.  Chris knows that Devin loves music, singing, and dancing!  Devin was happy!

Kacie selected a variety of puzzles and coloring items for Laura, who was pleased with her gifts once she got through a few layers of pretty tissue paper!

We were proud of our associates as they shared in the joy of each other receiving their gifts.  Everyone was gracious and thanked the givers, too! 😍

Mr. Howard was able to pop in near the end of the day.  We wished him a "Merry Christmas" and gave him one of our Christmas cards along with a gift from the AoA.  He, and all of the custodial staff, take great care of us and we are appreciative!

Becky had gifts for her friends, too.  She brought each of them a cocoa mug filled with marshmallows, cocoa, and a candy cane!  She said her granddaughter Emmy (one of our junior volunteers) put them together with her.  Patrick couldn't resist giving Becky a hug when he got his!  Thanks, Becky.  You are special to us and we are grateful for your help with our many activities and adventures! 

We also received this beautiful card from Sam's grandmother, and our friend, Nina, who lives in Arizona.  When we opened it, we were overjoyed to find lots of gift cards to Wendy's!  In fact, it's enough for us to make lots of Frosty runs in 2019!  Thank you, Nina!  We love getting Frosty treats, especially after a "hard" day's work at Eaton.  Wendy's is right on the way back to the center, so we will enjoy this very generous gift for a long time!

We ended our holiday party pulling apart Christmas crackers that Laura's family sent us.  We learned that they are traditionally part of Christmas celebrations in the United Kingdom, and that since Laura was born there, her family enjoys continuing this tradition.  When the ends were pulled, we heard a few cracking sounds and then prizes fell out!  What fun!  Thank you, Palmer family, for sharing this with us.  We always enjoy activities that have a story or relate to us!  

Missing from our fun were Chris and Cameron, who were traveling with their families, and Kevin, who was under the weather on Wednesday.  We missed our friends. 😔

🎄🎄🎄As our party ended, we took a moment to reflect on how very fortunate we are at the Arc of Abilities.  We have the love, support, and friendship of all of our families, the amazing Arc of Greater Williamsburg, and many, many friends.  We can't thank ALL of you enough for everything you do to make our day support program a fun, engaging, and safe place for our special friends to spend time.  We wish all of you a joyful holiday season, filled with many blessings!🎄🎄🎄

The Arc of Abilities will reopen on January 2, 2019!  Here's what we'll be doing our first week of the new year:

Wednesday (January 2):  It will be a busy start to the new year! We'll spend part of the day removing our holiday decorations from the walls, and planning our January calendar.  We will celebrate Thank You Note Day (which was December 26) by writing several notes of thanks we have on our to-do list!  One of our Rotary friends will be here for Computer Lab support.  It's also Personal Trainer Awareness Day, so we will give Patti some extra love during yoga (dress to stretch)!  Lunch on your own.

Thursday:  Crossword Puzzle Day was on December 21 so we will make up for it today since many of our guys enjoy crosswords.  It's also Science Fiction Day and Drinking Straw Day, so we will explore those topics, too.  After lunch, we will head to the Art Museums of CW for our first session of the year with Christina, so please wear Arc shirts!  Lunch on your own.

Friday:   It's National Trivia Day, and that is right up our alley, so we will have trivia activities today.  AND, one of our favorite dishes is celebrated today as it's National Spaghetti Day, so spaghetti for lunch! 

🎄💗 To all of our families, Lisa, Carol, Nan, and Becky would like to thank you from our hearts for the Christmas gifts we received from you and our beloved associates.  We are deeply touched by your generosity and thoughtfulness. 🎄💗

 Once again, we wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!  See you in January!

Lisa, Carol, and Nan