Winter

Advent Season

Advent introduces a season of preparation, waiting, reflection, and expectation before Christmas.

RISS may recognize Advent through candles, wreaths, short reflections, seasonal decorations, and quiet moments leading into the Christmas season. Participation is voluntary, and the focus is on learning, tradition, and the meaning of preparation.

Hanukkah

Hanukkah introduces residents to a Jewish tradition centered around endurance, faith, memory, and light.

Activities may include a brief cultural explanation, lighting traditions, food, music, and conversation about the meaning of sustaining light during difficult seasons.

Feast of St. Nicholas

The Feast of St. Nicholas introduces European traditions centered around generosity and small symbolic gifts.

Residents may place shoes out the night before and receive small items such as candy, fruit, chocolate coins, or simple gifts the next morning. This is meant to be small, consistent, and joyful.

Feast of St. Lucia

The Feast of St. Lucia introduces Scandinavian winter traditions centered around light during darkness.

RISS may recognize the day with candles, pastries, warm drinks, cultural storytelling, music, and a community gathering focused on light, warmth, and shared tradition.

Christmas

Christmas at RISS is designed to create warmth, joy, dignity, and positive shared memories.

Activities may include stockings for every resident, a Christmas breakfast, resident gift exchange, cookie decorating, gingerbread house decorating, holiday movies, music, decorations, and a shared Christmas meal with residents, family members, friends, volunteers, or invited guests when appropriate.

The goal is not extravagance.

The goal is intentional care, community, and belonging.

Boxing Day

Boxing Day provides an opportunity to recognize volunteers, mentors, teachers, and community members who help make campus life possible.

RISS may host a simple gathering with coffee, brunch, resident notes of appreciation, brief recognition moments, and small thank-you gifts for volunteers. The focus is gratitude, reciprocity, and recognizing people who choose to be part of the RISS community.

New Year’s Eve

New Year’s Eve is resident-facing and reflective.

The focus is on ending the year honestly, naming what has changed, and preparing for what comes next. Activities may include a shared meal, reflection questions, quiet conversation, goal-setting, and a countdown or simple campus gathering.

New Year’s Day

New Year’s Day is focused on new beginnings.

RISS may host an open house-style gathering, brunch, games, music, and community activities that mark the beginning of a new year with hope, accountability, and forward movement.

Epiphany / Three Kings Tradition

Epiphany introduces traditions found throughout Europe and Latin America.

Residents may place shoes outside their rooms overnight and receive small gifts, fruit, or candy the next morning. RISS may also include cultural storytelling, Rosca de Reyes or similar food traditions, and a short explanation of the holiday.

Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year introduces residents to a global tradition of renewal, family, prosperity, and fresh beginnings.

Activities may include cultural education, food, decorations, music, lanterns, calligraphy, storytelling, and discussion of how different cultures mark the beginning of a new year.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Martin Luther King Jr. Day creates space to reflect on justice, dignity, civil rights, service, leadership, and moral courage.

Activities may include guest speakers, documentaries, group discussion, community service, shared meals, and conversations about responsibility, citizenship, and the work of building a better community.

Presidents Day

Presidents Day creates space for civic education and public responsibility.

Activities may include civics trivia, constitutional scavenger hunts, discussions about separation of powers, American history, leadership, government, and the responsibilities of citizenship.

Carnival

Carnival introduces residents to cultural celebrations found in Brazil, the Caribbean, Europe, and other parts of the world.

Activities may include music, food, decorations, cultural education, dance, masks, costumes, and discussion of celebration as identity, resilience, and community expression.

If you believe reintegration should be built intentionally, not reactively, we invite you to explore how you can help bring the RISS model to life.