Christmas Celebrations for Relatives Who Live in Nursing Homes

I can still remember the first year an aunt spent in a nursing home. There was no chance that she'd be able to attend our usual holiday festivities. This left us with a problem. We didn't want to exclude her but we had no idea how to bring Christmas cheer into the nursing home. Not only was there a relatively small room to work around but there were other residents who might be disturbed by festivities or noise. After talking with the nurses, however, we learned that plenty of other families had gotten over similar hurdles and learned how to manage holiday celebrations in nursing home environments. With the encouragement of the nurses and by networking with other families, we discovered that even if our relative couldn't celebrate Christmas by leaving the nursing home (that year), we could certainly bring the Christmas spirit to her. Here's how we did it:

We began with a Christmas checklist for our nursing home holiday celebration

At first, the idea of tackling a Christmas party in a nursing home seemed totally overwhelming. The nurses definitely came to our aid by encouraging us to think about what would create a festive atmosphere and by offering suggestions that would fit nursing home rules. After that, we simply focused on the elements that are an integral part of a Christmas party - holiday food, decoration, carols, entertainment. The nurse also reminded us not to forget that simply being there was an important part of the day - and encouraged us to include other residents in our holiday celebrations since some of them didn't get visitors. It was an important reminder to get beyond ourselves and think of others.

Start your preparations with the nursing home gift shop. You're like to find some easy Christmas decorations and gifts there.

If the nursing home has a gift shop, it is really a no brainer to start there. If your family member lives in a nursing home without a gift shop, consider going to a hospital gift shop or similar store. With either option, you're likely to find decorations and gifts which meet requirements. You won't end up with items that are dangerous to use in rooms that might have oxygen canisters or other medical equipment. Using this option, we were able to find some adorable candy canes, flameless , battery-operated candles and small tabletop accents that were both safe and festive enough for Christmas celebrations in nursing homes.

Christmas decorations that work in nursing homes can be found in many holiday catalogs

One of our favorite finds came from Century Novelty. You can see the site here: party-supply.centurynovelty.com and a major bonus is the very reasonable price for many of the seasonal decorations offered there. Check out the Christmas section and look at the Tricot Chair cover, a striking decoration which makes an ordinary seat look like it has a Santa hat topper! For only $2.98, this one is a huge bargain. It is so reasonably priced that you could arrange to have a small party in a section of the nursing home dining room (with permission, of course) and cover a number of chairs with these cute Santa's hat toppers.

Other great sources for holiday decor came from Lillian Vernon, found here: www.lillianvernon.com where an everlasting red berry wreath ($12.98) is listed, similar to one we used at our Christmas party in the nursing home.

Suggested tip: when selecting party decor and seasonal items, try to keep everything from reaching the floor or causing a hazard for wheelchairs, canes or walkers. Put safety first during the Christmas holiday celebration, especially with people who may have physical limitations or challenges.

What's a Christmas celebration without holiday music?

Since music was a tradition at Christmas, we decided this wasn't going to be an exception.However, we did have to consider the other residents. So we made brought in a DVD player and some holiday specials that our aunt had loved in years past. If you want to do this on a budget, you might try to make your own DVDs. Otherwise, you can find selections at Amazon, found here: www.amazon.com or even at many Half Price bookstores or stores such as Blockbuster. From Andy Williams to contemporary Christmas carols, there are many DVDs or CDs to add extra cheer to your party.

Suggested tip: make sure you can hook up a DVD player or find another way to bring music to your Christmas celebration. Even tabletop Christmas trees or music boxes can work - in a pinch.

Christmas food is a must - but special diets might need to be considered for nursing home residents

Food was actually a larger hurdle than finding holiday decorations and music. Although our aunt could still eat most foods, other residents were on special diets or had trouble chewing. So we searched recipes carefully, going to sites like All Recipes.com, found here: www.allrecipes.com to test Christmas puddings, eggnogs and other seasonal foods that were both tasty and easily swallowed. Of course, we also had to make sure that we met requirements for foods brought into the nursing home. Many catalogs, including Harry and David, found here: www.harryanddavid.com/gifts/store/home___offer Christmas foods that are sugar-free or meet other special dietary requirements.

Suggested tip: be sure to remember that many residents may have special diets. If they'll be at your party, include food they can eat.

Christmas carols or other entertainment adds focus to a holiday party in a nursing home

The nurses told us about volunteers who'd come to the home and sing Christmas carols, if requested. Although this idea was tempting, we finally decided to play a classic DVD version of the movie, A Christmas Carol. Since it was a favorite film, one our aunt watched yearly (along with Its a Wonderful Life), we knew this would be a holiday recipe for success.....and it was.

Suggested tip: have one major type of entertainment, from carol singing to watching a classic movie together as a family.

By focusing on the major elements Christmas celebrations, from the decor to the carols, we helped ensure that even though our aunt couldn't gather around the Christmas tree with us, we could bring holiday cheer to her. Nursing homes may not be ideal places to celebrate the holidays but a seasonal party doesn't have to be Mission Impossible, either.