If you have a loved one in an assisted living facility, you’re eager to make their holiday season special. However, you may be wondering how to best celebrate the holidays with them.
Being in assisted living shouldn’t make the holiday season more complicated. The following are just seven great ways that you can celebrate the holidays with your family member in assisted living.
1. Watching Your Favorite Holiday Movies
One of the simplest and most fun ways to celebrate the holidays with your loved one in assisted living is by having a movie marathon. Make a list of their favorite holiday movies and bring them over one day to have a Christmas movie party.
If you don’t have time for a day of holiday movies, schedule a few separate movie nights throughout December to watch one movie at a time!
2. Decorating the Assisted Living Facility
Another way to get in the holiday spirit is through decorating. If the assisted living facility allows it, you can put up holiday decorations together. These may include a small Christmas tree in your loved one’s room or holiday lights and tinsel.
You could also hang pictures of family and friends taken during previous celebrations on the walls to bring back great holiday memories.
3. Doing Holiday Arts and Crafts
Arts and crafts are a popular pastime in assisted living facilities. During the holiday months, you can make Christmas- or Hanukkah-themed crafts with your family. These can include painting, sculpting, or making your own ornaments.
You can even make creative gifts for other friends and family members and give them a special keepsake for to have years to come.
4. Bringing Grandkids and Other Family to Visit
The holidays are all about spending time with the people you care about. Many residents in assisted living are unable to leave their facilities due to mobility issues and other health concerns. That’s why you should bring the people they care about directly to them for the holidays.
Bring grandkids, siblings, old neighbors, or other friends to the assisted living community to spend some time celebrating together.
5. Taking a Trip Down Memory Lane
Taking a trip down memory lane is a simple and meaningful way to celebrate the holidays, especially for those in assisted living.
As it gets closer to the holidays, bring in old photo albums or ornaments to help reminisce about past get-togethers with your loved one. If you have any old home movies, you could watch them with your loved one to relive those great memories together.
6. Organizing a Sing-Along or Holiday Performance
Does your family love to sing Christmastime carols or other seasonal songs? Speak to the staff at the assisted living facility and see if you can organize a holiday music show or sing-along for the residents. You can perform with friends and family members and put a smile on all of the residents’ faces — and your own!
7. Make a Gingerbread House or Bake Cookies
Sweet treats are a major part of the holiday season, and you can make them a big part of the holidays for your loved one in assisted living. Build a gingerbread house together, bake cookies, or decorate a holiday cake. Baking is a fun way to spend a few hours together while reminiscing about preparing for the holidays throughout the years.
Whether you’re creating something new or revisiting past holiday memories, there are plenty of ways to celebrate the holidays with your loved one in assisted living!
