It’s the holidays! Here at Tribute at Melford in Bowie, Maryland, we’re ready to celebrate!
Yes, obviously, this particular holiday season figures to be different. We see how the winter wave of the dangerous COVID-19 pandemic is sweeping across the country and keeping people apart from each other for now.
But we’re an active senior community here at Tribute. Our culture emphasizes and encourages beautiful experiences and social connections throughout our assisted living, independent living, and memory care neighborhoods. That’s never more vital than during the holidays to our senior friends and relatives – virus or no virus.
As a matter of fact, here at Tribute At Melford, we’re throwing a party for the whole community – our Independent Living, Assisted Living, and Memory Care neighborhoods – on the 18th, then we’re having a Blast From The Past party on Christmas Day!
Plus, we’re celebrating Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, playing holiday games and making holiday crafts, and hosting a holiday concert series that will be streamed online!
So, we’re all ready to celebrate the holidays with our residents. If you want the seniors in your life to enjoy the holiday season, we have some great ideas about how! Here are our Top Five Tips To Bring Holiday Spirit To Your Senior Loved One in 2020:
1. Play the role of Santa for your loved one.
Stuff a stocking with decorations, cards, a favorite candy or two, maybe a few photos to spark some great memories, or a CD by one of their favorite bands.
Package the stocking up and mail it, or present it to your loved one at their home if you can safely visit.
There’s another great way to play Santa for the greater community of senior citizens near you. Whether you’re a neighbor of ours here in Bowie MD, or you live elsewhere, find the local Santa To A Senior or Santas For Silvers initiative in your area. Consider donating and getting involved. You’ll make someone’s Christmas even better!
2. Watch your favorite holiday movies together – even if you’re not together!
It could be Movie Night or Movie Matinée, but schedule Movie Time with your loved one to enjoy a movie together! Whether you both have it on tape or you’re sharing a streaming service, it’s tremendous fun to watch movies with people you love!
Shed a happy tear when Santa is proven real in A Miracle On 34th Street, or bust a gut laughing as Tim Allen tries to negotiate The Santa Clause. Just be sure to share the experience together.
3. Sing some holiday carols over video call.
Music is a part of daily life here at Tribute At Melford and across the entire Cadence Living family nationwide – so it’s only natural to sing holiday songs together!
The fact is, singing in close proximity risks spread – but technology has an answer: Share the joy of caroling together over the Internet! Have a caroling party together, or just entertain your loved one by performing an exclusive concert just for them.
Connect over a video chat program like FaceTime, Zoom, Google Meet, or whichever you and your senior loved one prefer. Set up the tablet or smartphone by the piano, get everyone’s voices warmed up, and Jingle All The Way!
4. Send some holiday crafts, cards, and letters!
This is a fantastically fun family activity around the holidays, especially for young kids and the young at heart!
Take some paper, a few colored pencils, and a dash of creative inspiration, and make a personalized greeting card – just for your senior loved one. Add in some photos or drawings for an extra personal touch.
Write a heartfelt, uplifting holiday message in a card or letter, and send it to them. There’s something special about getting a letter in the mail.
Or take some craft supplies and create your own decorations. They might become family heirlooms!
Children’s drawings and pictures make unforgettable holiday gifts – plus your senior loved one will get a big kick receiving a gift made by hand, just for them.
5. Bake some festive cookies.
A great family activity during the holidays is a cookie exchange. Make sure to share the sweetness with your senior loved ones!
Before you fire up the oven, ask them about their favorite cookie, or maybe they have an old recipe. Vanilla butter sugar cookies, chocolate crinkles, peppermint snickerdoodles, gingerbread men, the ones with green and red icing in the shape of candy canes…you really can’t go wrong!
Bake ‘em up and take ‘em over (or mail ‘em over) – then be sure to connect on video so you can enjoy them together! (Otherwise…there’s always fruitcake!)
Make It A Great Holiday For Your Favorite Seniors
It’s the holidays and we’re ready to share the spirit and joy with all our residents here at Tribute at Melford. We invite you and your senior loved ones to enjoy the festivities any way you can.
Call us at 301-329-5565. We’d love to orchestrate a safe visit with your loved ones here at 17300 Melford Boulevard in Bowie – or, we hope you get to share time together some other way this holiday season.
Got more Tips To Bring Holiday Spirit To Your Senior Loved One? Tell us on Facebook. Happy Holidays to all!
