Tis the Month Before Christmas

Tis the month before Christmas and all through our community things are astir.  It began on the evening before Thanksgiving with our lighting the menorah for the first day of Hanukkah.  This year the fact that it coincided with Thanksgiving resulted in the presence of the Jewish grandchildren of one of our residents being present to lead us in the blessings and prayers. 

 

Thanksgiving Day found lots of visitors present for our Thanksgiving feast.  We are blessed with a dining staff that goes to great lengths to make this a special day for us.  Tables are set up to accommodate family groups who come to share the meal with resident family members.  This saves time and confusion when the group exceeds the size of our usual table setups.   The menu includes special treats beginning with things like lobster bisque, shrimp cocktail, and continuing through turkey with all the trimmings, ham, and ending with desserts sicj as warm cherry cobbler and bread pudding with caramel sauce..  For the past several years my son, his wife and their two teen age boys, now 18 and 22, have joined me here.  The boys love being here for our holidays such as this and Easter and Labor Day. 

 

As we move on our maintenance staff bring out the holiday decorations from their assorted storage spots and together staff and residents decorate our community.  We are lucky that the staff takes on the job of putting up outside lights and bows saving us the difficulties associated with the cold weather and reaching high places.

 

Additional blessings have come to us as outside groups such like the children of Centenary Methodist church who brought us the delight of their Christmas pageant.  For me this was a real treat because it has been a number of years since I have been able to be at one of these.  Along with the children cametheir energy and enthusiasm.  It was delightful to see them skipping and running about as they prepared for the presentation.

 

Another blessing was the visit of the Granville School Chamber Singers who presented a beautiful a cappella choral collection of seasonal music.  Following their formal concert in our Amelia Gathering Room they walked through the halls singing as they went thus taking their music to residents unable to attend.

 

We were also privileged once again to a program presented by residents and staff members.  The Kendaliers directed by Teddy Westlake sang both serious and fun numbers including one about a hippopotamus and a couple about pies - namely pumpkin and cherry.  They invited us to sing-a-long with them fpr several holiday songs.  Seatee by a fireplace on stage Ginny Fletcher read  the well known Twas the Night Before Christmas to the children of staff members.  Kelly Corder played a beautiful violin accompaniment to Silent Night and Away in the Manger as the Kendaliers and audience hummed. On our way out of the Amelia Room we had our choice of pumpkin or cherry pie to top off the evening.

 

On the thirteenth we gathered for what has become our traditional holiday potluck.  On this occasion the dining staff provides the main entrees, shrimp cocktails, and some sides while residents and staff members outdo each other by bringing mouth wateringm delicious appetizers, salads, salads, sides and sinfully delicious deserts.  That event ends with a presentation of tokens of appreciation given to staff members by residents who have contributed to the staff appreciation fund since tips are not allowed.

 

Another thing that staff and residents collaborate on is contributing to the Licking County program Families Helping Families.  This too is a tradition.

 

These highlights of the activities of this season illustrate what makes Kendal  such a special place to live during  the holiday season.   The biggest blessing of all is that this sort of thing isn’t limited to the holidays  but goes on the year round