It’s no secret that 2020 has, well, sucked. Never have we ever wished for a faster end to the year than this year. We know that 2021 might have a bit of a rocky start but we can hope that the New Year will bring easier times for all. But that is not to say that all of 2020 was bad. We can always choose to look for a little bit of whimsy and fun in the year. So we choose to theme our December around the *Jolly Blessings* of 2020!

Our monthly intentions are a way to shine a spotlight on the life lessons that dance provides. From creating special bonds between dancers and families, to gratefulness and a growth mindset – it’s our aim to highlight these life lessons to our dancers and dance families. After all, dance is not just about learning how to move your feet, but how to let your heart lead!

What does JOLLY BLESSINGS mean to FDC?

2020 was certainly not all that we hoped it to be, but we want to shine a light on some of the unexpected blessings that this year has brought for our dancers. From more time at home with family, to learning new technology – there are lots of new skills and memories we made this year.

What are our JOLLY BLESSINGS?

The holiday season is a festive fun time at the studio. Now we might not be able to celebrate all of our holiday traditions this year, but we are super thankful that we can continue some of holiday traditions like our Fill the Sleigh campaign and our FDC Ornaments too!

Our Ornament tradition was started by my sister. She carefully designed and created every single ornament that our dancers receive in the first few years of the studio. As the studio grew, it was difficult to keep up with that number of ornaments. But nevertheless, we wanted our dancers to have a special ornament on their tree still. Plus it’s pretty cool to see the collection of ornaments over the years of our dancers too!

Our Fill the Sleigh campaign is one of our ways to give back to our community. We are so thankful for our community’s support every year, and especially during a year like this! We will be hosting this year’s campaign in support of Domestic Abuse Services Oxford. Dancers are encouraged to donate canned food items and new toiletries to help us fill the sleigh. All of these items will be put directly back into the community that helps to support and shape us all. Please feel free to donate any non-perishable food items (school lunch items like snacks, drink boxes, cookies and crackers, tea/coffee/juice, jam, cereal, cake mixes, pudding/jello, tuna) as well as new toiletries (deodorant, toothpaste, shampoo, face wash, etc) and any additional needs (baby wipes, size 6 diapers, sippy cups, new twin bed sheet sets, tissue boxes, dryer sheets, cutlery, drinking glasses, journals/notebooks).

And of course, it wouldn’t be the holidays at Footprints without Dash, our Elf on the Shelf! He gets up to some mischief sometimes, but our littlest dancers love finding him hiding around the lobby!

What’s the JOLLY BLESSINGS Plan?

Over the course of the month we will host a series of activities and events for all of our dancers inside and out of the studio.

  • Watch out for our 12 Days of FDC Christmas social media challenge inspired by gratitude!
  • Pick up your FDC Holiday Ornament throughout the month
  • Our Holiday Spirit Squad will be filming their Nutty Nutcracker Virtual Dance Recital. Stay tuned for the release date on YouTube!
  • Bring in your donations for our Fill the Sleigh Campaign
  • Enjoy the festive lights and decorations in our studio
  • Our dancers will be creating their Unexpected Presents of 2020 Wingman activity this month and choosing their favourite moment of this year!
  • Join in on the fun during our last week of classes for 2020 with our Holiday Dress Up!