During our Season of Light, we offer a peaceful respite for visitors of all ages and backgrounds. It’s a celebration of community and giving, where each year, Grace Farms offers engagements to experience moments of joy, festivity, and community during this season.
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The Giving Tree
In November and December, stop by select volumes of the River building to pick an ornamental donation card from the Grace Farms Giving Tree. We collect donations to purchase gifts for children and families in partnership with the Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants (CIRI), which provides a compassionate array of high-quality legal, social, and educational programming for refugees, immigrants, and survivors of human trafficking in Connecticut.
In choosing a gift, we have suggestions from books to warm socks and blankets. Here is list of suggestions and a link to donate online too.
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Songs of the Season
Our popular yearly music series returns to the Sanctuary. Experience moments of peace and tranquility through season-inspired musical selections performed by various artists. This series is curated by Music Director Marcus G. Miller, an accomplished saxophonist who has performed at the Obama White House, Carnegie Hall, as well as with major artists like Jon Batiste.
Songs of the Season | Amanda Barise
Friday, November 29, 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm; Saturday, November 30, 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Listen to improvisational arrangements of seasonal music performed by local musicians during Songs of the Season!
The performance features R&B and pop singer-songwriter Amanda Barise, who is known for her mastery of the American Songbook, having performed selections from Ella Fitzgerald, Etta James, Christina Aguilera, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Lady Gaga, and Mariah Carey at a young age. She has performed on stages across the world, including the Apollo Theater, Place Vendôm, and the Cotton Club where she became the venue’s youngest performer.
Songs of the Season is free and included with daily registration. Parking is on a first come, first served basis; carpooling and ride sharing is encouraged.
free
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Candlelight Yoga with Pilin Alice
Wednesday, December 4, 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm
Step into the Court for a yoga and movement class for all levels led by Pilin Anice, a renowned yoga, dance, and meditation instructor. This special candlelight class aims to inspire tranquility and provide a moment of reflection. Participants may bring their own mats, towels, props, and water.
For whole body wellness, each class pairs movement with a tea from Grace Farms Tea & Coffee, a public benefit LLC and a Certified B Corp. December’s movement by candlelight is designed to complement a cup of Shine tea. Shine is a caffeine-free, antioxidant-rich blend that naturally combats inflammation.
Pilin Anice, E-RYT 500, is a wellness guide who believes that the disciplines of Ayurveda, meditation and yoga, ritual, self-care, nutrition, and dance and drum, allow us to reconnect to ourselves; to evolve, heal and live authentically. Through her offerings, she has guided students to find their way back to the wisdom of their own bodies, and the joy that is the essence of their being.
Pilin is passionate about building community and looks to cultivate non-judgmental spaces where everyone can be seen and heard, and move freely and wholly. A graduate of Howard University and the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, she is on faculty at Kripalu, Ailey Extension and was a lululemon Studio Trainer and Ambassador for nearly four years. She is also a Chopra Yoga Trainer, Visiting Faculty at IIN and an Ambassador for Bayan Botanicals.
$20 | member: $16
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Cookie Decorating
Saturday, December 7, 1: pm – 2:00 pm; 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Sip warm tea and decorate cookies with the entire family during this fun-filled hour! Cookies will be provided by our Pastry Chef and Educator Leah Jones. Due to last year’s popularity, we’re offering two decorating sessions.
$8 | member: free
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Gifting for Good
Friday, December 13, 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm; 6:00 pm – 7 pm
In the spirit of giving, gather with friends, family, and fellow community members to assemble care packages and write cards in support of Filling in the Blanks. This joyous night offers festive music, refreshments, and engaging winter crafts for all ages to enjoy.
Filling in the Blanks provides weekend meals to children in need across Fairfield and Westchester Counties, bridging the gap between Friday’s school lunch and Monday’s school breakfast. Founded by mothers and community activists, the Norwalk-based organization has since delivered over two million weekend meals to children in low-income households.
$10 | member: $8 | children: free
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Gardening Workshop | Decorating with Air Plants
Saturday, December 14 | 11 am – 12 pm
Make a one-of-a-kind holiday decoration from living plants and other natural materials with Grace Farms garden team. With a focus on more sustainable holiday décor, you’ll learn about epiphytes, the fascinating low-maintenance plants that acquire nutrients and moisture from the air and water around them.
$15 | member: $12
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The Role of Faith in Reconciliation in a Time of Division
Tuesday, December 17, 10:30 am – 11:30 am
Join us for an intimate and insightful conversation with Reverend Lisa Lynne Mathis-Kirkpatrick and Dr. Matthew Croasmun, Associate Research Scholar and the Director of the Life Worth Living program at the Yale Center for Faith & Culture at Yale Divinity School, who will explore how faith can play a pivotal role in mending divides in our communities. Reverend Mathis-Kirkpatrick, who was Grace Farms’ Founding Community Initiative Director, will share her experiences and perspectives on using spiritual principles to foster understanding, empathy, and reconciliation in times of societal division.
Reverend Lisa Lynne Mathis-Kirkpatrick was our Founding Community Initiative Director from 2015 to 2019. During her time, she greatly contributed to the community with her wide areas of expertise and gracious spirit, empowering and supporting hundreds of not-for-profit organizations along the way. The State of Connecticut’s General Assembly recognized her community contributions through Grace Farms Foundation noting her leadership, kindness, humor and enthusiasm.
Also, an accomplished singer, songwriter, and pianist, Reverend Mathis-Kirkpatrick will perform with Broadway Inspirational Voices for their 30th anniversary in New York City on December 16, 2024. Broadway International Voices performed at Grace Farms in 2015.
free
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Open Arts Studio | Wintry Landscapes
Thursday and Friday, December 26 & 27
Play with the reflection of light through glass and trace the shadow lines to create a drawing or painting inspired by Grace Farms’ winter landscape. For ages 4 – 11 with adult caregivers.
$5 | member: free
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Give the Gift of Grace Farms
Share the joy this season with the gift of membership! Whether for family, friends, or colleagues, a Grace Farms membership is the gift that keeps on giving. Delight those on your list with a year of exceptional benefits, including memorable members-only experiences, retail and dining discounts, and more.
Use code GIFT10 for 10% off gift memberships all season long!
Membership highlights include:
- Expedited access to Grace Farms
- 20% discount on paid programs, retail, and dining
- Complimentary access to select programs
- Invitations to members-only events
- Gift from Grace Farms Tea & Coffee, a Certified B Corp
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About Grace Farms Foundation
Photo by Sahar Coston-Hardy
We bring together people across sectors to explore nature, arts, justice, community, and faith at the SANAA-designed River building and Barns, on 80 acres of publicly accessible natural landscape.
Our humanitarian work to end modern slavery and foster more grace and peace in our local and global community includes leading the Design for Freedom movement to eliminate forced labor in the building materials supply chain.
This collaborative approach to comprehensively address humanitarian issues and generate new outcomes is reflected across all of our initiatives and the place of Grace Farms.
Membership
Grace Farms members can visit without advance registration and enjoy a 20% discount on paid programs, retail, and dining, invitations to members-only gatherings, complimentary events, and a welcome gift from Grace Farms Tea & Coffee.
Becoming a member helps us advance our mission to pursue a more peaceful world and supports the preservation of the River building and its surrounding 80 acres.
For more information, visit gracefarms.org/membership.
Visit our calendar of events to learn more about upcoming programs.
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