Warming Up for Christmas {A Cozy Event for Families}

Tree lighting ceremonies are sparkling throughout the country. Arlington Heights holds theirs on the Friday after Thanksgiving. The event typically includes spirited musical entertainment, festive food and hundreds of twinkling lights. However, it can be a might bit chilly out. So, we often do have to thaw out a little afterwards. This year, Yapa Events and Bradish Associates created the perfect warm up event after this year's tree lighting. Not only were we able to warm up quickly from the cold outside {and it was frigid} but we were able to warm up our spirits just in time for Christmas!


Bradish Associates is an insurance firm conveniently located near North School Park. We were cold so as soon as the lights went on, we made a beeline for the event. We were warmly welcomed when we entered and enjoyed a hot chocolate and a few cookies to put us in the Christmas spirit! After we left the treat nook, we discovered the office had been transformed into a "workshop" bustling with crafting activity!

In one portion of the workshop, children frosted and decorated their own holiday cookies.  My daughter chose the largest cookie, of course, and helped herself to a healthy portion of frosting and sugary accoutrements.

 

Next, we all put on our creative hats and worked on a couple of crafts. The atmosphere of the crafting area was quite jovial with families happily working on projects together. My husband helped our daughter construct a Christmas tree from popsicle sticks. {There were instructions and an example, of course.} After, we painted a glass ornament. My daughter did most of the painting since she had a vision. However, I helped with the little extras!

Yapa Events excels at putting that special frame around these fabulous family memories. Just Peachy Photography visited during this event to take pictures so that each family could bring record of their holiday warm up home! We love Just Peachy Photography and the way Erika Williams is able to catch that light in every child. So, we were truly excited to see Erika at the event and appreciate the lovely memento she gave us of the day!

Warming Up for Christmas was the perfect way to cap off our first real holiday outing of the year! This time of year, everything is so hectic. The event provided the perfect way for families to spend time together before the real craziness starts. A wonderful event showcasing the local treasures--what more could anyone ask for!

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**Disclosure: No compensation was received for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.