The Christmas Season at Granville

Part of the fun of living at Kendal is participating in the celebrations of the holidays that enliven our annual calendar. We have Valentine's Day, when hearts proliferate on campus. We have the Fourth of July, with its cookout and barbecue, and with flags and bunting springing up everywhere. We have Halloween, bringing its annual infusion of small but fearful monsters - actually the children of staff members and the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of residents - to share an evening meal with adult friends, to get one more chance at tricking-or-treating, and to enjoy an evening jounce on a horse-drawn hay wagon. And on any Saturday in the fall the scarlet and gray colors of Ohio State are suddenly on display - on banners, apparel, doors, and candies - to remind us that the Buckeyes are playing football that afternoon.

But the fullest season of celebration is Christmas - and in part because it encompasses several weeks. The first sign that something noel-ish is afoot comes soon after Thanksgiving, when decorations begin to appear, not only at the doorways of the residences but also, thanks to the work and planning of resident decorating committees, in various community gathering places. At the heart of all these decking activities is the annual greening of the lobby. Meanwhile, across the campus various trees, both outside and inside, slowly and magically begin to spring to light.

At the same time musical events begin to fill the calendar. The local high school choir comes to share its gifts with us. Various smaller ensembles perform on weekday evenings. Children provide musical entertainment. Buses transport residents to concerts on the Denison campus. Finally, as Christmas Day draws near, we have a community carol sing, which includes the additional and happy opportunity for us to hear the solo voice of a very talented member of our health service staff.

Seasonal parties, small and large, begin to appear on residents' schedules. Among them, the most joyous is the annual staff appreciation event, which brings residents and employees together and allows the residents to let it be known to those who keep the operations of Kendal running so smoothly just how grateful we all are for their friendly and invaluable efforts.

Christmas Eve brings one of the happiest developments, with the sudden appearance of gifts of candy and cakes on the doorsteps of many residents - all anonymously provided, of course. We can only conclude that Santa Claus has put Kendal on his itinerary.

Christmas Day itself finds the Kendal dining experience transformed. It goes without saying that the staff provides splendid holiday fare - ham and bass and beef were laid on this year, with pastries to delight almost any tongue. But the assemblage of diners is different. On the one hand, many regulars are not present, for they are off spending the day with friends and family. And on the other hand, many unfamiliar faces, some quite young and rambunctious, have arrived to celebrate the holiday with a parent or grandparent whom they love.

Not everyone at Kendal holds to the belief system that gives Christmas the special meaning that church-goers ascribe to it. That's why we make a point of celebrating Hannukah, recognizing Kwanzaa, and acknowledging that some of our friends are simply not into religion at all. But the season manages to catch just about everyone up in its warm spiritedness, and it becomes, for believers and unbelievers alike, a moment to celebrate community, friendship, and fellow-feeling.