This post may contain affiliate links, and I will be compensated (at no extra cost to you) when you make a purchase by clicking on my links.
Do you enjoy celebrating the 12 Days of Christmas in your senior living community? If so, do you celebrate during the twelve days leading up to Christmas—or the twelve days after Christmas?
Interestingly, according to tradition, the 12 Days of Christmas begin on Christmas Day and extend through January 5. If you or your residents wish to know more about the history behind these twelve days, you’ll find lots of information in this article from Christianity.com.
In the spirit of the season, I’m sharing a “giving” activity you can do at your nursing home during each of the twelve days. These ideas encourage both the residents and the staff to get involved.
1st Day: December 25
Invite your residents to write simple thank-you notes to people who help support the nursing home through their work. This could include the mail carrier, hospice staff, consultant pharmacist, trash collector, medical providers, and others. Thank them for their service over the past year.
2nd Day: December 26
Many people donate gifts to homeless shelters before Christmas. But the needs never end. Hold a simple, one-day fundraiser and donate the money to help the shelter buy items left on their wish list.
3rd Day: December 27
Contact your local blood center and schedule a blood drive for your employees—either onsite or via a mobile unit. Donations typically decline over the holidays when people are so busy. (Please read this recent post to learn how blood donors helped save my life.)
4th Day: December 28
Write encouraging letters to deployed soldiers. Send them to Operation Support Our Troops.
5th Day: December 29
Bake cookies to share with your local fire or police department. Today is the perfect day to make treats. Why? Because Christmas goodies are long gone, and people haven’t yet started their New Year’s resolutions to lose weight!
6th Day: December 30
Create New Year’s cards and deliver them to another local senior living community. I’m one of those old-fashioned people who still love to exchange Christmas cards. So, I always feel sad when the cards stop coming. Wouldn’t it be a fun surprise to receive cards on New Year’s Day?
7th Day: December 31
Cut yarn for the Magic Yarn Program. They’ll fashion your yarn into beautiful wigs for children experiencing cancer-related hair loss.
8th Day: January 1
Decorate a large banner and invite residents to write thank-you messages to their caregivers. Hang the banner in the employee break room. If you have minimal activity staff today because of the holiday, recruit a couple of residents to bring the banner around to the other residents.
9th Day: January 2
Bake dog treats to send home with employees who have pets. (We put them in plastic baggies with a label listing the ingredients in case of any food allergies.)
10th Day: January 3
Decorate placemats for your local Meals on Wheels program. Would you like to know more about this wonderful service? Check out this post about my personal experience with Meals on Wheels.
11th Day: January 4
Make no-sew fleece scarves and donate them to a homeless shelter. I like to do scarves instead of blankets because you can get a lot done in one day for a low cost. You can find a variety of fun patterns on YouTube.
12th Day: January 5
Encourage staff to start the year off right by decluttering their homes. Collect clean, gently used winter coats, caps, and mittens for donation to a local social services agency. Invite someone from the agency to come in and talk with your residents about who the donations will help.
What other ideas do you have for the 12 Days of Christmas? Please let me know in the comment section.
Leave a Reply