The holidays seem to have a pretty amazing way of bringing out the best in us.

Tables where it’s all about being grateful (and sharing a ton of food). Families gathering to celebrate. Generosity and goodwill more front of mind in these November and December weeks.

Pausing. Reflecting. Remembering to be kind.

Which is all great.

But sometimes these moments or feelings are tied to expiring events.

The holiday season wraps up. The calendar turns to January, and life goes back to normal.

The kindness we felt so naturally during these weeks sometimes fades right along with the holidays that brought it out.

Nothing wrong with that. Holiday traditions matter. Seasonal generosity is real, meaningful, and important.

But kindness definitely doesn’t have to be seasonal.

Kindness as Practice

At camp, kindness isn’t something we flip the switch on for special occasions. It’s built into everything we do.

Cleaning the cabin even when you’re tired.

Including someone new at your activity table.

Cheering for another cabin’s award even though you wanted your name called.

None of them are grand gestures. They’re just small, repeated moments that add up over time.

It’s giving kids kindness reps. Chances to practice it when it’s easy and, yeah, sometimes when it’s not. When they feel like it and when they really don’t.

And reps build muscle memory.

Kindness stops being something you think about because there’s a big special day circled on the calendar.

Instead, kindness becomes part of who we are.

This is kindness on a much longer timescale, building character over weeks and months.

Camp is for Kind Kids

Camp sessions end, just like holidays end.

But the goal is that this type of kindness doesn’t expire when campers get picked up.

We see it in the way campers stay in touch after summer. The friendships that continue through the school year. The habits that come home with them.

Parents notice it too. Kids who help without being asked (okay, not every time, but sometimes). Who show patience with younger siblings. Who include someone sitting alone at lunch.

Those aren’t accidents. They’re reinforced by spending weeks in a place where kindness is practiced daily.

Camp isn’t for everyone. But it’s definitely for kind kids. If you’re reading this, it’s almost a certainty that you are raising a kind and thoughtful kid.

Does every camper show it every single second of the day? Probably not. But you are raising them with the lasting skills to be kind.

The camp day, the community, the weekly opportunities to care for others, all add to this. It builds and builds. It compounds.

Valuing Kindness

We’re grateful for families who value lasting kindness.

Holidays tend to have us reflecting on what matters. Camp takes that same spirit and builds it into daily practice.

The real gift isn’t just teaching kids to be kind during special moments. It’s helping them understand that kindness is something you carry with you everywhere. Something that holds its value long after the moment passes.

No calendar reminders.

Practiced daily and strengthened over time.

And worth celebrating all year long.

Happy Holidays,

Erec Sir