Number Story

Holidays Can Be Hard

Art Director: Johnny Caltagirone, Copywriter: Scott Keneally

ACE Resource Network is a philanthropically-funded group that is dedicated to illuminating the causes & effects of childhood trauma and lighting a path to healing and hope.

The Holidays can be hard for a lot of us. ACE Resource Network wanted to create a digital Holiday Campaign to give folks healing tips to get through the difficult season. Holiday visuals can be triggering for a lot of folks. To try and connect without triggering dark pasts we visually leaned into nostalgic toys paired with rhyming couplets.

Smartphone screen with a message about the challenges of holidays, stating 'HOLIDAYS CAN BE HARD'. Smaller text underneath advises hanging out with accepting friends if family is rejecting.

A smartphone displaying a message about holiday mental health, with a colorful illustration of a nature scene featuring a path, trees, mountains, and a dove.

The image shows a smartphone screen with an orange background, displaying a message about holidays and family traditions. The message reads: "Holidays can be hard. When childhood memories aren’t merry and bright, choose new traditions that bring out your light." There is also a tilted note or card with the text "A chosen family holidays" on it.

A mobile phone screen displaying a holiday-themed app with the text "Holidays Can Be Hard" and an illustration of a vintage handheld electronic game device showing a family celebrating with a cake against an orange background.

A smartphone displaying a message about the challenges of the holidays, with a drawing of a woman inside a red picture frame and a bookshelf in the background.

A smartphone with a pink background screen displaying an inspirational message about holidays, with Scrabble letter tiles attached to the screen.

Smartphone with purple background displaying holiday message about giving from the heart.

Smartphone displaying a holiday-themed message and emoji of a Lego figure with a sad face on a brown background.

A smartphone screen displaying a holiday-themed digital illustration with text, and an arcade game machine below it, against a light blue background.

Laptop computer displaying a webpage with the headline 'Holidays Can Be Hard' on a blue background.