Day 9 - Update a favorite childhood recipe

"Nothing - not a conversation, not a handshake, not even a hug - establishes friendship so forcefully as eating together." Jonathan Safran Foer

Commensality - or the act of eating together - is one of the most fundamentally human experiences we can have. From the cooking to the serving to the sitting around a shared table, eating with others brings both fuel, and friendship, to our lives. While eating together, we can connect with each other deeply. So we challenge you today to think about a favorite childhood recipe, and update it to work for you and your friends today. You can remake cupcakes or casseroles, fajitas or flan. The recipe you choose is just half the story, though. The real act of connection is found in the sharing - so get cooking, and then get eating together!

The foods of our childhood shape us - the memories found in birthday cakes and Hanukkah seders, wedding feasts and ballpark hotdogs all remind us of shared experiences, and community connectedness. When we eat them later in life, often those positive memories come flooding back. Remaking a favorite dish is a wonderful way to bring back those relational memories - and inviting someone to share in the eating with you is a powerful way to bring new relationships into your world.

Think back on some of your favorite food memories. They might be cookies your grandmother baked every spring, or a bread you bought at a neighborhood bakery each Saturday morning with your dad. It could be something as simple as a summer fruit salad you ate at the beach, or as elaborate as a multi-tiered cake you craved each birthday. Whatever that dish is, write the recipe down. Then invite a friend over to cook it, and eat it, with you. Enjoy the time shared together. And when they leave, gift them a copy of the recipe so they can make it again - a simple way to keep the connectedness going well into 2018.

Enjoy your delicious treats - and we would love to know what you are making! Feel free to leave a comment here telling us what you are planning to recreate!

Day 8 - Create a new December tradition

In our northern hemisphere this time of year, it's dark. It's dark when we wake up, and it's dark again by 5pm. That darkness can take its toll, and coupled with the cold, often keeps us inside, alone. One way to combat this loneliness is to create a new December tradition to help keep us excited, and connected.

Traditions are vital elements of connectedness - they remind us of the communities we are a part of, build routines that give us emotional security, and provide moments to look forward to that create relational stories. As we grow, some of our childhood traditions may change - and that is totally fine. Others might disappear totally - and that's ok too. But we also have the power to create new traditions that are meaningful and personal, and today, we challenge you to think about what new tradition you might want to incorporate into your end-of-year (or into your 2018!).

Your new connectedness tradition can be as simple, or elaborate, as you want. Some possible ideas include:

• inviting old childhood friends over every year for a New Year's day potluck
• hosting an annual best-of-that-year movie marathon in your living room - complete with endless popcorn
• baking your grandmother's favorite cake recipe and taking it to the local nursing home to share
• booking an annual trip with some old high-school friends to a place you always wanted to go together
• creating an end-of-the-year 'vision board' with all the people you want to reconnect with in the following year

These are just some ideas - clearly, the options for new connectedness traditions are endless. But the real value of a tradition is in the consistency - so choose something that makes you thrilled to think about doing it again with friends year after year. Don't let the darkness keep you lonely - there are so many ways to keep the connections alive even in the cold!

Let us know what you have decided to do, and let this one new tradition help pave the way for a 2018 full of connections, excitements, and memories.

Day 7 - Write a handwritten note to your neighbor

"I didn't have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead." Mark Twain

Our challenge for you today is an easy one - but perhaps one of the most meaningful! Take just 15 minutes, and write a short handwritten note (or go Mark Twain-style and write a long letter!) to a neighbor of yours. In our hurried, technology-and-tweet driven lives, the act of actually writing things down is disappearing. But does anything feel better than receiving a real letter, penned in ink? So why not take a moment today to give a gift of connection to a neighbor that could use a little extra joy at this time of year.

Live on 100 acres of land and have no neighbors nearby at all? No problem - why not write a note to your mail delivery person and leave it in the box?! Just moved to a new town and haven't met any of your neighbors yet? No problem there either - this is a wonderful opportunity to say hello and introduce yourself! Enlist your children or grandchildren to draw pictures to include with your note, or perhaps even extend an invitation to dinner later this month if you are feeling exceptionally connected.

We have included a letter template to get you started, or why not enjoy some of the beautiful stationary that is available at local shops? (we have tagged a few of our favorite online paper shops on Facebook to inspire you if you are looking for lovely options.) But no matter what you write your letter on, know that reaching out to friends and neighbors via 'snail mail' to just say hi and remind them that you care is an ongoing way to truly make 2018 our Year of Connectedness.

Day 6 - Donate to a cause you believe in

This time of year, loneliness can effect everyone - even those outside our own circles. As the year comes to a close, we challenge you today to spend a few minutes thinking about ways we can all help support the ongoing battle with loneliness many in our communities, and our world, face. Reaching out and connecting with those we care about is crucial to helping make 2018 our Year of Connectedness, and donating to a cause you believe in is a way to reach out to those that are even farther outside our normal 'families'.

Our resources page lists numerous organizations working to help combat loneliness on many levels - from aiding in building connections through fostering relationships (like the Boys and Girls Club of America, or the YMCA), to helping those battling some of the devastating effects of loneliness like addiction and suicide (including the JED Foundation and the Trevor Project). Each of these organizations, and so many others, thrive on donations - and certainly would appreciate all gifts, no matter the size, at this time of year.

We encourage you to consider donating to any organization that you value that helps build stronger and healthier individuals and communities. The organizations can be local or national, tiny in size (like your local community garden association) or grand in scope (like supporting mental health specialists with Doctors without Borders). You can help support people around the world, or in your own neighborhood. The options are endless, and the potential to help others is exponential. 

Loneliness will never be curable. It is deeply personal, and it effects everyone at one point or another in life. But it can be lessened, and it can be helped. People around the world are working on this every day - and together we can all help in the ongoing journey toward a more connected, less lonely world. 

Your generosity just may save someone's life - what an incredible gift that would be. Thank you for joining us in this important journey, and please let us know of organizations you value.

Day 5 - Have meaningful conversations with friends and loved ones

Today, in the middle of all the wonderful (and sometimes stressful!) hustle and bustle of this season, we challenge you to keep it simple and connected around your family-centered dinner table! Here are our three 'rules' for a healthy, happy, and engaging meal, whether you are eating with long-lost uncles or your best friends from the apartment downstairs.

1) Try for a no-phone zone: We know this is CRAZY challenging, but have phones around for photos of all your friends and delicious edible creations only - stay connected in the moment! 

2) Take your time: We spend hours cooking meals, and then we all rush through them. Meals are more than just food - so savor every minute of the casseroles AND the conversations.

3) Have meaningful, interesting conversations: Meals are a great time to learn about the people in our lives, so why not ask new questions and learn new things? We have attached below a downloadable list of questions that are super easy to cut out, place on people's plates, and enjoy a stress-free connected meal.

Sending you wonderful wishes for delicious dinners throughout the rest of this season - and please let us know how your meaningful conversations go!