By: Tracy Sanders, Co-Editor | tracy@thewoodrufftimes.com
Following the Open Christmas Table held on Christmas Day in Woodruff, organizer Victoria Stanley said the most memorable part of the gathering was the time spent listening to the stories of those who attended.
The Open Christmas Table, hosted in partnership with Stone Soup Storytelling and MUSE 134, brought together community members for a shared meal and fellowship at MUSE 134. While attendance was modest, Stanley said the experience affirmed the purpose behind the event.
Stanley said sitting around the table and hearing from each person in attendance was a lasting moment.
“Everyone truly has a story worth sharing,” Stanley said. “Their story can move us with emotion, move us to act to make a difference, or even move us to laughter.”
She said the time spent learning more about each person who attended made the gathering meaningful and reinforced the importance of creating spaces for connection.
As a first-year event, Stanley said the Open Christmas Table also provided insight into how future gatherings could better meet the needs of the community. One of the main lessons, she said, was recognizing that while many people need connection, not everyone feels comfortable engaging in group settings.
“The biggest thing I learned this year is that there are people who need people everywhere,” Stanley said. “Some may not want to or feel comfortable enough to sit and engage with strangers.”
As a result, plans for next year’s Open Christmas Table are expected to include an expanded option for to-go meals, allowing individuals to receive a Christmas meal without feeling pressure to stay and socialize.
Stanley said the goal is to ensure people still feel remembered and cared for on Christmas Day, regardless of how they choose to participate.
Looking beyond the holiday, Stanley said she hopes the Open Christmas Table and similar gatherings can play a role in strengthening connection and belonging within the Woodruff community throughout the year.
She said opportunities to gather, share meals, and listen to one another are increasingly important in a time when many people feel disconnected.
“We have allowed ourselves to become divided for reasons that are often unnecessary or misunderstood,” Stanley said. “We have hidden behind technology and phone screens, building walls between one another.”
Stanley said she believes those barriers can begin to come down when people take time to sit together, share stories, and listen.
“When we slow down long enough to sit across from one another, those walls begin to crumble,” she said.
Stanley said gatherings like the Open Christmas Table are not about creating sameness, but about recognizing shared humanity.
“Each of us is carrying something,” she said. “When we acknowledge that, compassion grows, understanding deepens, and community is formed.”
Organizers are expected to continue discussions about future Christmas gatherings and the possibility of additional community meals or fellowship events during the year.
Author: Tracy Sanders
