Gestures of Love: The AGUAdeORO 2025 Christmas project
“My favourite Christmas tradition is decorating the Christmas tree and admiring the Christmas street lights…I wish for everyone this Christmas to be surrounded by family and loved ones”, says Elva, 77, the mother of AGUAdeORO’s founder. Her message is part of the AGUAdeORO 2025 Christmas project “Gestures of Love” an initiative which aims to inspire connection, kindness, joy and the sharing of memories across generations.
The Growing Distance Between People and Generations
Over the past 15 years social isolation has risen by more than 13%, reflecting the decreased connection between people shown in the study by T. Fuller et al. People have replaced team sports with individual workouts, going to the cinema with streaming shows online and real conversations with online texting. This rise in social isolation has significantly affected the connection between younger and older generations.
Our Inspiration
This Christmas at AGUAdeORO, we asked ourselves an important question: How can we inspire more connection, joy and memory between people not only through material gifts?
“Jewelry, to us, is more than just a precious object, it’s a way to unite people, make others happy and celebrate meaningful moments,” says Mr. Arredondo, the founder of AGUAdeORO. Yet, we believe memories, connection, kind words and acts of service are just as valuable as a piece of jewelry. This belief is what inspired the creation of our 2025 Christmas project “Gestures of Love”.
A Connection Across Generations
For this project, more experienced members of our community recorded heartfelt voice messages sharing their favourite Christmas memories, advice, and wishes for people in the New Year. As Selin, 85, spoke into the microphone, she could not stop smiling as she recalled the traditions of making snow angels in the garden, baking Christmas cookies and watching the same movies year after year in front of the fire. We want each of these valuable stories, filled with precious memories, inspiring words of wisdom and kind wishes, to be heard, cherished and passed down to younger generations.
Each of these “Gestures of Love” is met with another “Gesture of Love" from another participant who writes a reply in return. Victoria, a participant in the project, shares how she felt when she heard her message, “I was incredibly touched by the message. She shared some powerful advice which I will carry with me for the rest of my life. I truly can’t wait to write her back.” Through these “Gestures of Love” a connection is brought about with a potential for new friendships to blossom.
More Than Love
This project serves as a reminder that Christmas is about “More Than Love”, it is about connection, kindness and acts of service between people and even more importantly between generations.
AGUAdeORO is a jewelry store founded in 2009, with locations in Geneva and Zurich. It offers its customers the opportunity to purchase ethical jewelry made in Switzerland. We are committed to offering jewelry that combines sustainability and elegance.
(Source credit: Thomas E Fuller-Rowell, Samia Sultana, Ichiro Kawachi, “Global Trends and Disparities in Social Isolation”, National Library of Medicine, 2025, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12439063/ )
How can I participate in “Gestures of Love”?
How can I record and share my voice message?
Thank you for your willingness to participate. Please record a voice message with the following guidelines:
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Introduce yourself
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Share your most special Christmas memory
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Offer a piece of advice and your wishes for the new year to the person who will receive your message.
You may upload your voice message on Google Forms using this link.
We will then turn your voice message into a QR code which we will distribute to other members of our community who will write you back in return.
How can I reply to a voice message?
Please contact us using the following email address: info@aguadeoro.chTell us that you are interested in receiving a voice message. Please share your name, phone number and email address and we will send you a QR code with your voice message. You can write back to this person using your own card or you are welcome to come pick up a card from our boutique already stamped which you simply have to send.
What can I win by participating?
To thank you for your participation we will be giving out beautiful, limited edition silk scarves to many of our participants.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. How is my privacy protected when I participate in this project?
Your privacy is very important to us. Your voice message will be shared with other members of our community anonymously. We only ask for your email and phone number to contact you should you win a silk scarf. We will not share these personal details. When a person writes you back they must send their letter to our boutique which we will ensure reaches the correct person. Moreover, your voice message or letter will not be uploaded publicly.
2. Why can younger generations benefit from hearing stories from the elderly?
Older people carry so much wisdom as they have a lot more life experience than younger people. They have learned lessons in life which they can pass down to younger generations so they do not have to make the same mistakes.
3. What are the benefits of participating in this project for the elderly?
Recording their voice messages can evoke emotions of joy in people as they reminisce on some of the wonderful moments in their life. Moreover, elderly people can often be quite lonely and therefore, it would brighten their day to receive thoughtful cards from younger generations in return for their voice message.
4. How can I make my Christmas more meaningful this year?
A meaningful Christmas goes beyond just giving gifts to loved ones. It’s about creating connections, spreading kindness and love. Consider different acts of service such as volunteering at a local soup kitchen, spending quality time with your family or including people in your Christmas celebrations who might be alone at this time of the year.
