Strategic Planning-We Need Your Voice!

Happy New Year! As we begin 2026, what better way to celebrate than by strengthening the connections that bring our community together? HNN has launched a strategic planning process to guide our future growth and ensure we continue fostering friendships and building community in Holliston for years to come.

We've organized the planning into four key areas: Audience and Community Engagement, Membership, Financial Sustainability, and Governance.

We're seeking volunteers for these planning committees. Whether you're a longtime member or just joined, your perspective matters! The time commitment is minimal - just 2-3 virtual meetings over a few months, with our goal to have the plan ready for the 2026-2027 membership year.

Join our virtual January meeting to learn more about each area and sign up for a committee that interests you. Can't make the meeting? No problem - just let us know which area interests you, and we'll connect you with the right group.

Your voice matters in shaping HNN's future!

We had a great time at Craft Roots Brewery this month.   Hope everyone had a Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas or Happy Festivus for the rest of us and hoping to see you at our next stop on the Local Brewery Tour or at some of the other events we have planned for the new year.  

Brewery Tours: Save the date for the next stops on the Brewery tour. Brewery is meant for everyone.  Please feel free to bring your kids, friends or anyone who would enjoy some time together.  Join us:

HNN Adult Holiday Party: This year we're doing something a little different.  One of our members will host an Ugly Sweater & White Elephant Party. If you're not familiar with the white elephant concept please bring a wrapped gift of something you received that you'd rather pass on. It can be funny or just not your style. Looking forward to a fun night with everyone.  We will have beer, wine, appetizers and desserts.  If you'd like to bring a favorite drink or dish please do.  If you'd like to participate in the White Elephant bring one wrapped gift per person. Let's see those ugly holiday sweaters!  Come on, you know you have one you want to wear.   

• Friday, January 23rd, 8:00 - 11:00, Adult Holiday Party, please RSVP to Jackie.

Children's Playgroup is back for the new year. We've enjoyed seeing familiar faces and we look forward to welcoming new members to our upcoming gatherings. This month we will have playgroup on Saturday, January 24 from 3 to 5 pm. For location information please RSVP.

Happy New Year! If one of your resolutions is to read more, you’ve come to the right place. Everyone is welcome to attend, regardless of whether you have finished (or even started) the book. Book Club is mainly an opportunity for old and new friends to get together and chat and snack.

We hope you will join us for our next meeting on Wednesday, January 21, at 7:30 pm, when we will be discussing The Icon & the Idealist by Stephanie Gorton. A heads-up that this book is 464 pages.

In the 1910s, as the birth control movement was born, two leaders emerged: Margaret Sanger and Mary Ware Dennett. While Sanger would go on to found Planned Parenthood, Dennett’s name has largely faded from public knowledge. The Icon & the Idealist reveals how and why these two women came to activism, the origins of the clash between them, and the ways in which their missteps and breakthroughs have reverberated across American society for generations.

The Holliston Public Library reserves several copies of each book for us; ask at the circulation desk for the HNN book. For those who want to get a head start on next month, our February book will be Kill Your Darlings by Peter Swanson.

We meet the third Wednesday of each month. Please contact Debbie if you have any interest in hosting a meeting.

As we move into the heart of the holiday season, I find myself reflecting not on tinsel and traditions, but on something more fundamental: the quiet power of connection.  

At HNN, we witness it every day. The way a listening ear or a small act of support can ripple outward in ways we may never fully see. This season reminds us that our work isn't about grand gestures, it’s about showing up, consistently and compassionately, for our community.  

To our members, volunteers, and supporters: thank you for being part of this community. The love and support you pour into this organization matters more than any of us can measure.  

Here's to carrying that spirit of care and connection into the new year. With gratitude,

We had a fun discussion of Sandwich at November’s Book Club—thanks to Deb for hosting. Everyone is welcome to attend, regardless of whether you have finished (or even started) the book. Book Club is mainly an opportunity for old and new friends to get together and chat and snack.

A reminder that we take the month of December off from Book Club, so our next meeting will be on Wednesday, January 21, at 7:30 pm, when we will be discussing The Icon & the Idealist by Stephanie Gorton. A heads-up that this book is 464 pages.

The Holliston Public Library reserves several copies of each book for us; ask at the circulation desk for the HNN book.

We meet the third Wednesday of each month. We hold most meetings in person but also have a Zoom option if you can’t attend. Please contact Debbie if you have any interest in hosting a meeting.

Here’s what we’ll be reading in 2026 (depending on availability):

• January 21 - The Icon & the Idealist by Stephanie Gorton
• February 18 - Kill Your Darlings by Peter Swanson
• March 18 - Writing Creativity and Soul by Sue Monk Kidd
• April 15 - Twice by Mitch Albom
• May 20 - My Friends by Fredrik Backman
• June 17 - The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

We had a great time at Yama Fuji and Start Line Brewery this month.   Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving and hoping to see you at our next stop on the Local Brewery Tour in December or at some of the events we have planned for the new year.  

Brewery Tours: 

Save the date for the next stops on the Brewery tour. Join us:

• Saturday, December 13th at CraftRoots Brewing in Milford from 1-4pm

As November arrives and we gather around tables with family and friends, I find myself reflecting on what makes our community truly special—and it's you, our incredible members.

This season of thankfulness reminds me that Holliston Newcomers and Neighbors is so much more than an organization. It's a living network of neighbors who show up for one another, who volunteer their time and talents, and who work together to make Holliston feel like home for everyone.

To every member who has hosted an event, welcomed a new family, planned an activity, or simply showed up with a warm smile—thank you. Your generosity of spirit is what brings our mission to life. You are the ones who transform newcomers into neighbors and strangers into friends. Your presence matters. Each conversation at a coffee meetup, each introduction at a community event, and each act of kindness ripples outward, creating the welcoming community we all cherish.

As we move through this season of gratitude, I'm reminded that the strongest communities aren't built by organizations alone—they're built by people like you who care enough to reach out, to connect, and to make a difference.

Thank you to everyone that stopped by Mission Springs for the Trick or Treat Event.  We received an email from the director thanking us for an amazing night of trick-or-treaters, sharing that it was the best turnout they have had post-COVID.  This is one of the Mission Springs residents' favorite events and your presence is what made it so successful. We appreciate you joining.

Brewery Tours: 

Save the date for the next stop on the Brewery tour. Join us:

• Sunday, November 16th at Start Line Brewing in Hopkinton from 1-4pm

Dinner Dates:

Enjoy some fun with friends old and new at one of our casual dinner gatherings:

• Thursday, November 13th, at Yama Fuji in Medway from 7-9pm

Children's Playgroup has been a wonderful way for our youngest members to play and for families to connect! It is great to see some familiar faces, and we look forward to welcoming new members to our upcoming gatherings. This month Tahmeena and Dave kindly offered to host on Saturday, November 8 from 4 to 6 pm. For location information and to RSVP, please email Tahmeena or Noora.

We will take a break from playgroup in December due to the holidays but if you'd like to host a month in 2026, please let Noora know!