Come Home to Kanuga for the Holidays

11.12.2018 - Guest Periods

With Christmas just weeks away, consider adopting a new holiday tradition by celebrating at Kanuga this year. Christmas at Kanuga is a wonderful time to reconnect with family and friends while enjoying the festivities of the season.

For one family, celebrating at Kanuga began as a way to heal after a loss in their family but quickly became a long-standing tradition. In 1996, the family was adjusting to a new sense of normal after the passing of Alice Kerr’s father. When Alice’s mom announced she didn’t want to be at home for the holidays after her husband’s death, the family began to explore new locations to celebrate.

Luckily, Kanuga was on the top of the list. Not only was it an ideal setting but it was familiar, her daughter Alicia worked there during and after college. “So we went to Kanuga, and it was just a perfect place for my mom to be. She loved it, and we kept going back through the years,” says Alice. “Christmas at Kanuga is festive and upbeat with lots of excitement—much like it would be at home.”

Finding New Traditions in a Familiar Place

The pull of Kanuga at Christmas was so strong that Alice and her daughter continued to come even after her mother passed away in 2007. “It’s a great place for us,” says Alice. “It’s an opportunity for a stress-free Christmas.”

The loving and giving spirit of Kanuga made an impact on Alice, and she decided to grow that spirit by becoming a part of Kanuga’s Adopt-a-Family initiative. Every year, Kanuga sponsors ten families for the holiday season. “There is something so rewarding about wrapping gifts and delivering them to a family at Christmas—especially to families with young children,” says Alice. “It is so heartwarming to provide gifts to children and to think that maybe you really did make a difference. It’s an opportunity to embrace others.”

Embracing the Spirit of the Season

While playing Santa within the local community is rewarding, the chance to focus on the spiritual meaning behind Christmas is a true gift. “The Christmas Eve worship is really meaningful,” says Alice. “Every chaplain has a different take on the Christmas story. To have variety in the sermon is meaningful and enlightening. I always feel like I learn something new.”

Throughout the years, one common thread keeps pulling Alice and others to Kanuga at Christmas. “It’s so comfortable to be with your Christmas family there,” says Alice. “We’re all seeking the same thing. We all want a stress-free holiday with detachment from the reality of the rush back home—the over-scheduling, the cooking, and the tiredness. You really can enter into the spirit of the season at Kanuga and celebrate with your own traditions.”

Join our Holiday Family!

Space is still available for Christmas at Kanuga. Learn more and fill out a reservation inquiry form online.