Find Meaning and Connection at your Next Family Gathering

COVID has been tough for many reasons, but being separated from family and having to skip or postpone major celebrations has been up there with the hardest. As we gather together to reconnect with our families again, we’re all filled with anticipation, excitement - and maybe even a little nervous energy.

Will we be able to connect with them the way we’ve been longing/needing to? 

We want to share a few ideas about how to make sure you leave your next family gathering with the connection you’ve been missing this past year.

If planning a big gathering or event sounds like a lot right now, Northbound can curate your dream experience and take care of every detail, so you’re able to sit back and focus on just spending quality time with your family. 

CREATE INTENTION

Your family gathering begins long before you are physically together. It begins simply with setting a date and picking a place. There’s the planning and the packing. Just having a beautiful thing on the horizon begets joy. 

When you feel anticipation stirring, try to scoop up that energy and take a moment to think deeply about what’s coming. What do you want to happen when you see your loved ones? What conversations do you want to have? What is the feeling you want to leave with? Here are some tips for creating intention: 

Pause. Create the space to think. Visualize your intention. Perhaps even draw or describe what you are seeing.

Articulate what you want to see happen. 

Brainstorm three ideas for what might help make that happen.

Identify and ask for support to make it all come together.

Communicate and invite others to join in on planning and activities. 

Plan to be present.

Identify the first small action step that will set the plan in motion.

PLAN ACTIVITIES THAT PROMOTE CONNECTION

Once you know the feeling you want to leave with, have some fun dreaming up and planning some activities that will get you there.

Here are some questions to ask yourself and your family members: 

What do we love to do together? Are we after the outdoors and adventure? Or sitting around a fire for quiet reflective moments? (A little bit of both?) 

Do we love to be creative? 

To be together cooking a beautiful meal in the kitchen? (Or would we rather not be in the kitchen at all?) 

What are the interests and gifts of each family member and how can we honor and celebrate those?

Are there any conversations we need to have or specific things we want to accomplish? For example, succession or philanthropic planning.

Once you’ve answered some of these questions, you can pick the destination, map out what need to be done and start putting together an itinerary.  

TAKE THE PLANNING OFF YOUR PLATE. (NORTHBOUND INTENTIONAL EVENTS) 

Planning an event takes time. And once you’re there, making sure everything goes off as planned takes effort and headspace. 

The greatest gift you can give yourself and your family members is to be able to be present with your closest people. 

That’s where we come in. 

As with all of our work at Northbound, our events are about meaningful connection and having fun. Intentionality takes experiences to a deeper level - but that doesn’t mean we don’t have a lot of fun getting there. 

From invitation to transportation to food, accommodations, activities and beautiful gifts, we love curating every unique detail to who you are and what you dream of getting out of your family gathering. Whatever your intention, we’ll work with you to put together a bespoke itinerary. For example, some of the activities that we can incorporate include: 

• Guided outdoor adventure

• Customized dining experiences

• Art and creative experiences

• Culinary or craft cocktail tutorials

• Communication or team strengthening workshops

• Family values exercise

• Facilitated family meeting

Truly the greatest thing we have to offer is bringing your goals and ideas to life so that you can simply show up, be present with your family and connect. The lasting memories you create will live on well beyond the dates of your getaway.

If you’re interested in learning more about Northbound Intentional Events, email me at Lesley@northboundconsulting.co or click here.