Holiday Party With Purpose: A Mini Authentic Relating Retreat

This isn’t your typical holiday party.

Will there be cool people? Yes. Ugly sweaters? Obviously. Will we have games? Of course! Will there be tasty snacks? All the tasty snacks!

The holidays are about being with people you love. We are inviting some of our favorite people to a special weekend event where we will dive into the topics that make this time of year wonderful… and also challenging.

The Wonderful

• The gifts!
• Joy
• Imagination
• Wonder
• New beginnings
• Celebration
• Gratitude
• Generosity
• Connection

The Challenging

• The gifts! ;)
• Family dynamics
• Expectations
• Disappointment
• Loneliness

Our goal is to leave you energized, celebratory, and grateful, as well as with ideas for how to deal with any holiday challenges to come your way.

The Details

Location: We will be renting an AirBnB within the DMV area, with 15-20 miles of downtown DC. The exact location will be announced later on.

Saturday, December 14th:

• 4:00 p.m.: Welcome! Receive a holiday surprise at the door.
• 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.: Ugly sweaters + Authentic Relating Games + Improv Games + Revelry
• 9:00 p.m.: Head home! Or to the next holiday party!

Sunday, December 15th:

• 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.: Potluck holiday brunch + roundtable discussion (chosen by participants)
• 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.: Cleanup + breaktime
• 2:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.: Authentic Relating Games + Improv Games
• 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.: A chill evening (if you don’t have another holiday party to attend). We will do some combination of: making cookies, putting together a gingerbread house, watching a holiday movie, going for a leisurely walk and/or other fun activities. You can bring dinner or order in.

What’s Included:

• A bounty of tasty and healthy snacks
• Holiday surprises
• 1.5 days of facilitated discussion, authentic relating games, and improv games
• (the cost of this event is higher, since we are renting a venue)

What’s Not Included:

• Meals
• Transportation to the venue (we will share a google spreadsheet so people can coordinate carpools!)

About Authentic Relating Games:

Do you crave a space where you can meet new people and talk about something OTHER than, "What do you do?" or "Where did you go to school?" The best way we know to answer this question is to use Chris Rock's joke about first dates. He points out that, when we go out on dates, "we don't actually go ourselves... we send out representatives." In other words, we PRETEND to be the person that we THINK our date wants us to be. And we don't just do this on first dates. WE DO IT ALL THE TIME. We are constantly, at some level or the other, hiding behind a mask, pretending to be the person that we think someone else wants or needs us to be. What would it be like to take off the mask? To practice authenticity in a supportive space where being REAL is the norm?

What kind of games are these?

• The games are tried-and-tested, fun, highly interactive partner and group exercises that demonstrate and explore authentic relating. Get to know yourself better while also learning to see and appreciate more about everyone sharing space with you. (Note that the games are NOT board games like Chutes & Ladders and checkers.)

• Game Nights are a chance to have fun in a new and exciting way with great people who want to go beyond small talk.

Can I bring a friend?

Are they totally awesome? If so, yes!

Who is invited and how many people will be there?

Changemakers, entrepreneurs, leaders and/or fantastic people who deeply value community and connection The event will be maxed at 18 amazing humans.

What are my transportation/parking options for getting to and from the event?

We will be renting an AirBnB within the DMV area, with 15-20 miles of downtown DC. The exact location will be announced later on. We will share a google spreadsheet so people can coordinate carpools!

How can I contact the organizers with any questions?

You can email Megan at megan@megantaylormorrison.com or Cat at Catherine@catherineawood.com.

What's the refund policy?

All sales are final or transferable to someone (extremely awesome) you know; please only purchase a ticket if you will be able to join us!