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5 ways to rekindle your camp friendships this winter!

Here in the northeast it’s cold. Like really cold. The snow at camp is starting to pile up and our summer home is starting to look like a winter wonderland. But nothing warms our hearts like the thoughts and memories of our time spent at camp. What is the best way to rekindle these memories during the cold months of winter? How about catching up with some camp friends? With social media, technology, and everything else, it’s easier than ever to keep in touch with your camp friends more often. Recently, we did a blog post about our former campers who have become roommates in college. We also know that there are many former campers and staff that have gone on to live together in the real world; Wekeela weddings and families; and of course many bar and bat mitzvah’s throughout the year where we all get to re-connect with our camp friends! There really is no place like camp and there are no better type of friends than camp friends, during the summer and year round!

Below are Camp Wekeela’s top 5 ways to rekindle your camp friendships during the winter: 

• Create a weekly video-chat with your camp friends.

So many of you out there do this already or have big group chats with your camp friends. Whatever social media app you use, having a scheduled, weekly conversation to pull together old jokes and memories.  It might make you miss camp, but you’ll get excited to see familiar faces! We recommend using a Snapchat group to get all your camp friends in together or another popular group video chat app.

• Express gratitude to your camp friends randomly & give them a call!

Close your eyes and think hard about one of your favorite camp memories. What did you do? Who was there? Once you picture these, give a call to that person. As you read in our last blog sharing gratitude is scientifically proven to make you happier. Giving a call to a friend from camp will truly warm both of your hearts this holiday season.

• Participate in a #WekeelaWednesday

One of the best attributes of social media is the #WekeelaWednesday tradition, where campers and staff, new and old, post a great camp photo! It’s super easy and super fun, especially when the comments start rolling in! Post your #WekeelaWednesday photos on Instagram and tag @camp_wekeela to get them featured on our page!

• Make a plan to visit your camp friends wherever your holiday travels take you.

Our family travels every year around the holidays. Wherever we are, we make an effort to get in touch with campers and staff from Wekeela past and present. A few years ago, while in Israel, we met up with a few campers in Jerusalem. It was amazing! If you and your family are traveling this time of year, it is always a good idea to think about who lives in that area. At Camp Wekeela, campers and staff come from 24 different U.S. states and 19 different countries. That is a lot of different potential destinations to visit some camp friends! We like to call these “mini-reunions.” When you meet up, make sure you take a photo and send it in to us for social media!

• Go to the NYC reunion on Jan. 5th!

Speaking of reunions, there is no better way to meet up with camp friends than to attend a Wekeela Reunion! 

In addition to several Wekeela Wednesdays throughout the year, reunions are the perfect way to meet up with camp friends! Our next reunion is in New York City at Chelsea Piers 

Bowlmor. Wekeela Pioneers new, current, and alumni are invited to these events to meet up, have some fun, eat some pizza, and rekindle those camp friendships! It really is amazing how quickly the camp spirit is rekindled when everybody gets together. There’s something about a camp community coming together that just feels like … you guessed it… camp!

So as the weather starts to get colder and colder throughout the winter, we know there is nothing better to warm us up than the thoughts of summer time. Use these tips to stay in touch or rekindle with your camp family while you count down the days until the first warm campfire of summer 2019!