The winter holiday season can be difficult for many seniors and other members of the public. With the weather being cold and the days short, many seniors are struggling with seasonal depression and many additional seniors have lost family members that they used to do holiday traditions with. There is also a sizable population of immigrants in Boone County who have different winter holiday traditions than those that are commonly celebrated in this region. 

In an effort to give the public a chance to better understand additional holiday traditions as well as provide the public with a cheerful atmosphere to get together, a cross-disciplinary group of cooperative extension personnel planned the first ever "Festive Journey: A Holiday Adventure". During the program, groups of approximately ten individuals rotated between five rooms where extension personnel taught them about a holiday tradition and then did a holiday craft with them for an hour before they rotated to the next room. The crafts included making paper flowers (art team), gingerbread ornaments (4-H team), living ornaments (horticulture team), a wooden holiday tree (environmental team), and decorating cookies (FCS team). Some of the traditions discussed included mistletoe, the history of decorating Christmas trees, and gingerbread houses. 

The program was limited to 50 people due to the supplies that were bought. 46 people attended the class and 29 of these returned surveys. 6 of the attendees were from a local nonprofit that focuses on helping those with disabilities through rehabilitation and employment opportunities. The majority of the rest of the audience were senior citizens. 

Of the 29 surveys that were returned, all said that they had learned more about holiday traditions around the world, that they'd tell others about what they'd learned, that they enjoyed the program, and that they were more in the holiday spirit now. The last question asked if they plan to do any of the activities with their family. 27 of the respondents said that they did plan on doing at least one of the crafts with their family while 1 said they'd likely start next year and 1 said maybe. Participants were very pleased with the program and commented;

"I signed up for this to hopefully get into the holiday spirit and it worked brilliantly."

"This was better than I could have imagined."

"Very informative and fun. Hope this program is offered again."

"Super fun day. Esp appreciated being able to be paired with friends. Each craft was fun & I learned new things in each "adventure". One of the best Extension experiences ever!!"

"What a wonderful day! Made new friends & enjoyed learning something to add to my family Holiday traditions"