Happy Holidays from all of us at Camp

The classic expression is: 

"Happy Holidays from our family to yours"

...but that's not quite accurate for this post, because everyone who comes to Camp, has attended Camp in the past, or supports Camp is part of our family. 

So, perhaps more appropriate for all of us Camp folks would be:

"Happy Holidays from our family to our family. We can't wait to see everyone back home at Camp in 2015."

(Oh! And if you're planning to register for Camp at our Polar Bear Rate, remember: you only have till the end of the year! Polar Bear Rates are no longer available starting January 1st. Everyone enjoy your well-earned winter breaks and the rest of your year!)

An Early Holiday Treat...Brand New Camp Brochures!

Well, I suppose you can only consider it a treat if you really like Camp brochures.

However, lucky for me, most the people who routinely read this blog REALLY like Camp brochures. So a holiday treat it is!

                                                     

Special thanks for these go out to Alissa Cutter and Lauren Tosti (our professional photographers at our rec time photo shoot), the campers who participated in that rec time photo shoot, and the folks at Moon Light Imaging for putting them together for us.

Feel free to pass these pictures around OR pick up some hard copies of the brochures from the Camp Office! They'll be a useful tool if you're looking to join our Lantern Program by getting some new campers to come to Camp.

Also! There is only TWO WEEKS LEFT to register for Camp under the Polar Bear Rate. This is the lowest price we offer, just for returning campers, so be sure to register before the end of the year to grab our Polar Bear Rate. (And remember - The Camp Office is closed starting December 24th, so if you have any questions, be sure to catch us before then.)

Our First Winter Gathering: A Retrospective

SO. We did it.

We gathered. 

In the winter time. 

Just as we planned.

And it was very pleasant! Despite the weather, which was not very pleasant. The weather was like 38 degrees and rainy. (AKA among the worst kind of non-disaster weather there is), but it only served to make the roaring fire in the Dining Hall seem even warmer and more welcoming. Over warm cider and hot chocolate, campers reunited with campers, staff caught up with long-lost staff, and some camp parents got to meet for the first time.

Usually, I'd just pick four or five pictures that I felt summed up the event, throw them up and let that be that.  However, this was such a wonderful afternoon and we got so many wonderful pictures of it, that'd I'm putting a couple more than the usual up here. If you couldn't make it, but the end of the pictures I hope you'll feel like you were here too.

A fire in the hearth...

Candles in the window...

Even the bear (begrudgingly) got in a festive mood.

The Wishing Well, evicted from it's usual spot, spent the afternoon on the porch as our Campership Donation Station.

CIT II grads! After their last session as campers but before Leadership Weekend and their future as volunteers, there was...the Winter Gathering.

The main event in the Dining Hall was Camp Craft Ornament construction.

And sitting by the fire was another main event.

And decorating cookies was a third main event.

We had a lot of main events.

Like smiling and talking and sipping warm beverages, that was another main event.

We had classic home made ornaments...

Like strung pop-corn.

And less-classic ornaments like Make-Your-Own-Camp Lantern!

And custom tree cookies!

And more sitting by the fire!

And then more smiling!

Worry not. The Spirit was in attendance.

There's a strict Camp rule that Jim and I can't both be smiling at the same time. This was Jim's turn.

Now it's my turn.

A warm cookie by a warmer fire. Pretty good. Pretty, pretty good.

We couldn't read the name of the building. It was the price we had to pay for thorough decorating.

Once constructed, the ornaments needed to make their way out to the tree. The tree which was in the icy, icy rain.

Which is why we made hanging the ornaments on the tree Sean Post's job all afternoon! Any time you have a task you don't want to do, please get in touch with the Camp Office. We'll send Sean Post to do it for you. (Especially if it's in the rain.)

Where to hang the ornament? A crucial decision.

Time to light the tree. To throw the big switch (that's right, we got a big switch just for this moment), we chose the youngest camper on site; young Griffin Konarski.

Ta-da!

Followed by a round of classic Camp carols (We Come from the Mountains, etc...)

And photo ops 'round the tree.

Yes, other Camp trees, you may be taller and more permanent, but at this particular moment you are certainly less incandescent. 

And then, too quickly (time flies when you're having fun [which we were, so it did]), we were at the end. And so...

 A Good Gathering to all...

And to all a Good Gathering....

And to all a good night.

Registration for Summer 2015 is now OPEN!

I'll be doing a full recap of our super fun, very festive, extra-successful, reunion-riffic (it's a word! Look it up! [DO NOT LOOK IT UP]) Winter Gathering in a day or two, but before that we wanted to do a quick little insignificant not so important announcement that... 

ENROLLMENT

FOR

SUMMER CAMP

TWO-THOUSAND-AND-FIFTEEN

(2015!)

IS NOW OPEN!

(Wham! Kapow! Bloom! Those are firework noises. We're in a State Forest so we can't set off fireworks. We can, however, make the noises just as much as we'd like.)

Register online here and now at our Polar Bear Rate!


Our Polar Bear Rate is available to only our returning campers and  is just in effect until the end of 2014! Sign up before January 1st to get your first pick of themes, classes, and the very best rate offered for a week at Summer Camp.

Get in touch with us at the Camp Office for more details or if you have questions. (Our Camp Office will be closed for the holidays starting December 24th. If you have any questions about the Polar Bear rates please get in touch before then, as we won't be back in the office until after the Polar Bear offer has expired.)

Your journey for Summer 2015 starts as soon as you sign up for Camp, so sign up soon to start your summer early!

(How happy would that make you? Happy enough to jump off a bench.)

Now that's happy.

Oh' Gathering Tree, Oh' Gathering Tree

Good selection, Tree. An excellent spot on Camp. Not really the most secluded subtle spot, actually you seem to be kind of actively forcing yourself into being the center of attention, but whatever you'd like.

And don't worry Wishing Well,  Tree has only evicted you temporarily. You'll be back. (Oh, and we will not be playing a game of seeing who can hit the tree with a frisbee from Founder's Rock like we do with the Wishing Well. Or...wait. Should we do that? Would "hit the tree with a frisbee" be an awesome Winter Gathering game?! Nope, nope, I was right the first time, I'll stick with my instincts. We will not be throwing frisbees at our Gathering Tree.)

But it's neither lit nor decorated! If only we happened to have a large group of people coming to Winter Gathering and looking for an activity to take up the afternoon we could solve that little problem...

Gathering is the day after tomorrow! 

RSVP if you haven't and we can't wait to see everyone at Camp on Saturday.

One More Tree on Camp

So you'd think the one thing we have plenty of here on Camp is trees.  Trees in the woods, trees around the cabins, so many trees that Hurricane Sandy knocked down a couple dozen and they weren't even missed (that much). 

More than enough trees.

We've got oaks and maples, spruces and pines, Camp's got trees galore.

But we needed one more.

Cause all the other trees are hard at work making Camp look great all year long. This tree just has to go to work at our Winter Gathering.

Hmm. We'll probably find one here.

Yup. Plenty of options!

Not this one.

Not that one either, Jim.

Wait! Wait! Could it be?

COULD it!?

Could it be the perfect Gathering Tree!?

Laaaaaaaaaahhhhhh. (Y''know, that musical reveal "laaaaaahhhhh" I'm trying to do? Y'know.) 

You've been selected! You're gonna love Camp, Tree!

A man and his saw.

It's been a long day for Tree. It needs a quick nap on the Dining Hall porch.

In its tree sleeping bag. But where'oh'where'oh'WHERE will become its home on Camp for the Gathering?
Stay Tuned.

The specialist of special thanks we have go to Ideal Farms for their generous donation of our Gathering Tree. They're lovely folks, swing on by for all your holiday needs. And swing on by here for the Winter Gathering on Saturday and to meet Tree in person.