Throughout the holiday season, Country Meadows co-workers are just as busy as Santa’s helpers as they plan events and activities to get our residents into the holiday spirit. Across all nine campus communities, residents and co-workers enjoyed time-honored Country Meadows traditions and started new ones.
“We see a wide range of emotions from residents around the holidays — some may be missing loved ones or feeling far away from family, while others can’t wait to wear their festive sweaters,” described Kim Eichinger, Executive Director of Dynamic Living. “Country Meadows is home for our residents and our co-workers approach the season with compassion and love while also creating opportunities for residents to enjoy sweet treats and holiday cheer!”
Christmas Tree Lighting
The halls of our communities are definitively decked this time of year with twinkling lights and other festive decorations. One Country Meadows tradition that takes place at many campuses is the annual tree lighting ceremony — when one Christmas tree placed in a common area of the campus is lit to kick off the holiday season. At these events, our residents’ families and members of the community are invited to join in the celebration.
Cookies, Cocoa and Christmas Movies
Dynamic Living is always bringing residents together for fun activities — even on Christmas Day. At the York-West campus, the community enjoyed fresh cookies, cocoa and a Christmas movie together. Hot cocoa was also a big hit at the Allentown campus where co-workers made a hot chocolate stand to make sure residents had access to the cozy beverage throughout the month of December.
Sounds of the Season
Did you know that many of our campuses have resident choirs? Residents who have a love of music are encouraged to join this year-long activity and of course they show off their talents during Christmas concerts! This year, even our co-workers at the York campus took to the stage to put on a variety show for the residents. In addition to our own entertainers, school choirs and bands brought the sounds of the season into our communities and often invited our residents to join them singing carols.
Giving Back
Residents at the West Shore campus bake cookies with a purpose this time of year. In partnership with the Army War College, our residents packed more than 100 pounds of cookies in boxes to be shipped to service members in the Marines who can’t be home for Christmas. This year cookie baking started in October and continued through December so they could ship as many cookies as possible.
Faith-Based Holiday Experiences
We understand that the holiday season is more than cookies, trees, and lights for some and all spiritual celebrations are honored and encouraged at our campuses. Chaplains at each campus provide opportunities for residents to engage in worship or participate in their spiritual traditions. For example in Allentown, residents shared several Hanukkah traditions such as spinning the drediel, singing traditional songs and enjoying homemade latkes.
These are just a few examples of the fun and festive happenings that took place throughout our communities this year. Follow us on Facebook to see what else our residents were up to this holiday season.