The King Street campus welcomed home its past and present community members to celebrate the holiday season December 4.  The festivities marked the eighth annual Come Home for Christmas event at Sacred Heart Greenwich.  After a family mass and brunch, a holiday boutique filled the athletic center with vendors and Christmas decor.  Traditional activities such as gingerbread house decorating, bracelet-making, and photos with Santa took place throughout the day.  Senior Charlotte Gannon and junior Skylar Stewart, who helped in the event, valued the community coming together to celebrate the holiday.  

The day began with Father James Rebeta’s celebration of the Eucharist.  Following mass, families gathered in Hayes Hall to eat brunch and spend time together.  Charlotte commented on the importance of taking time, despite distractions, to truly recognize and honor the meaning of the holiday.  

“The Sunday mass held at Sacred Heart this past weekend was a great way for my family and I to celebrate Christmas with the broader Sacred Heart community,” Charlotte said.  “Christmas is a very important time. It allows us to reflect on everything that we have been given, and the mass at Sacred Heart helped remind me of the true meaning of Christmas: spending time with loved ones and celebrating our faith.”

The Madrigals, contributing to the holiday atmosphere, performed Christmas carols on the stairwell of the building as people passed by.  At the holiday boutique in the athletic center, offerings included jewelry, clothing, home goods, and artwork.  Thirty four vendors set up tables displaying their goods to community members shopping for Christmas gifts.  Santa’s Secret Shop also offered a place for children to shop for more affordable, fun gifts for their friends and family.  Upper School students volunteered and helped the younger kids pick out gifts.  Skylar discussed how much she enjoyed the set-up shops.  

“Outside of the workshops, I also got the opportunity to explore a series of vendors that were selling a variety of gifts with a younger member of our community,” Skylar said.  “While walking around the different vendors, I got to experience the assortment of beautiful gifts they had to offer.  Not only were the gifts amazing, but a few of them were also recycled, constructed out of thrown-away plastics and other discarded materials.”

Children had the opportunity to take photos with Santa in Salisbury Hall and engage in gingerbread house decorating in the DuBois Gym.  Volunteers assisted the younger students with these activities.  Skylar remarked on how she valued her role in the event.  

“I truly enjoyed working at the Come Home for Christmas workshops,” Skylar said.  “I feel I got to have a direct connection with the younger members of our Sacred Heart community and witness firsthand the deep Christmas spirit our whole community has as we came together to pick out gifts for our loved ones, celebrate the birth of Jesus, and spend time with friends.”

Featured Image by Olivia Caponiti ’23