Finding Light in the Darkness: Two Ways to Connect This Weekend
Wednesday, December 17, 2025
written by Dr. Ilona Kubiaczyk-Adler
This weekend offers two beautiful opportunities to experience the season authentically, embracing both its brightness and its shadows within the warmth of community: caroling on Saturday (12/20 @ 2-5 pm) and meditation on the Longest Night on Sunday evening (12/21 @ 7 pm).
There's something magical about Christmas caroling that transcends perfect pitch or knowing all the words. Maybe it’s the way we connect with each other between verses of Jingle Bells, or how the slightly off-key Fa-la-la-la-la somehow sounds exactly right when sung with gusto. This Saturday, we're reviving the cherished tradition of caroling with a twist: hop aboard our merry bus as we spread joy to the nearby retirement and memory care facilities, bringing the gift of presence to those who might otherwise spend these days in quiet isolation. Whether you sing like an angel or cheerfully make a joyful noise, your voice matters. In our increasingly digital world, there’s something beautifully analog about gathering together to share music and smiles. These visits remind us that the season's greatest gift isn't perfection—it's showing up for one another with open hearts.
As we approach the winter solstice, Sunday evening's Longest Night service honors a profound truth: not everyone feels merry and bright during this season. For those carrying grief, loss, or simply the weight of a difficult year, this contemplative gathering offers sacred space to be exactly where you are. Surrounded by gorgeous and meditative music for cello, piano, organ, and voice, participants can sit with their sorrow, their questions, their exhaustion—without pressure to paste on a smile.
These events may seem opposite—one exuberant, one contemplative—but they share a vital thread. Both reject the cultural demand for relentless cheerfulness, instead creating room for the full spectrum of human experience. Whether you're singing with residents who light up at familiar melodies or sitting in candlelit silence with your own heavy heart, you're not alone. That's the true magic of this season: discovering that joy and sorrow can coexist, and that community holds space for both.
