Christmas is right around the corner and it is time to start thinking about the fun things that you want to do with your aging loved ones. Quality Family Care has come up with some activities to get you going this holiday season. Pick and choose what fits your situation best, or use them all!
1. Christmas Tree Lighting Party
Create invitations to pass out to friends and family to invite them to your family’s annual tree-lighting ceremony to mark the beginning of the holiday season. Everyone in the family can help you decorate your tree with ornaments and lights. Tell everyone to wear their holiday sweaters to the party, where you’ll serve hot cocoa and Christmas cookies. At the start of the party, “flip the switch” to show-off the beautiful decorations, and if you have outdoor decorations, turn them on as well.
2. Festival of Lights Party
For those of you that are Jewish, celebrate the Hanukkah season with a fun Festival of Lights party for all your family and friends. Use the party as a way to educate your non-Jewish friends about Hanukkah and its traditionYou can make thongs like potato latkes and other fried foods for friends or neighbors. During the party, invite your Jewish friends or family to discuss their holiday traditions with everyone, like how to play the dreidel game. In fact, recruit a few family members to help you decorate a dreidel craft kit to use to play the game.
Another option is to host a Hanukkah baking party and invite friends, family, and neighbors to make a few traditional Hanukkah desserts like Hanukkah donuts (jelly-filled donuts called sufganiyot) or rugelach (cream cheese pastry with a filling of nuts, chocolate, or fruit).Tell everyone to bring aprons to color and pastry hats as you teach them how to make these traditional Jewish treats for Hanukkah.
3. Christmas Cookie Swap Party
Divide your family into small groups to spend a few hours baking different types of holiday cookies. If your house has a big kitchen, then invite everyone to bake their own holiday cookies to swap and share at your annual Christmas cookie swap party.
Another option for the event is to provide plain sugar cookies for everyone to decorate with holiday candies and icing. Consider hosting a competition to see who can decorate the best holiday cookie, and have your friends or neighbors judge the competition.
4. Gift-Wrapping Party
Collect lots of empty cardboard boxes for your family to wrap during a fun gift-wrapping party. Pass out gift-wrapping paper to decorate the boxes and tie with ribbon before setting them under your family’s Christmas trees for added decoration.
Another option is to invite everyone to make the gift-wrapping paper themselves before wrapping the empty boxes. Simply use a roll of Kraft paper, ink pads, and stamps for the fun project.
5. Silent Night Party
Take advantage of this season of beautiful holiday music by arranging for a Silent Night party, in which your family sing Christmas carols. Serve holiday cookies and eggnog as you invite friends, family, and neighbors to sing along to well known Holiday music.
Another option is to take your party on the road. Pass out lyric sheets to everyone and guide them throughout your neighborhood to sing Christmas carols for your anyone door to door.
A final fun option for your Silent Night party is to schedule a special Christmas performance, in which you invite anyone and everyone to hear your family sing. Perform different songs for the special event, which can be set up as a holiday fundraiser where you sell tickets to the performance to raise money for a local charity of your choice.
6. Gingerbread House Party
Celebrate Gingerbread Decorating Day (Saturday, December 9) or Gingerbread House Day (Tuesday, December 12) with a fun gingerbread house contest for your family. Divide everyone into teams to compete to see who can decorate the most beautiful gingerbread houses.
For the competition, be sure to use gingerbread kits that come with all the supplies for decoration. If you find that gingerbread cookie kits are too messy for children or the elderly, then consider using a foam gingerbread house craft kit that comes with self-adhesive foam decorations that your family can easily stick onto the gingerbread houses.
Invite the grandkids to get involved too! Set up a coloring station at the party and invite everyone and their grandchildren to color gingerbread scenes using crayons, glue sticks, and glitter glue.
A third option for your gingerbread house party is to set up an area where everyone can make gingerbread ornaments by stitching pre-punched felt gingerbread men and women. Encourage all participants to hang their finished ornaments on their trees or give them as gifts to family members.
When in Home Care is Needed
The Holidays can be stressful with aging loved ones who may require more attention than you have to offer. We are here to help! If you have any question, concerns, or need reassurance about if our services match the requirements of your situation, call Quality Family Care toll-free anytime at 877-513-7156. You deserve the best quality care that your family can find. And we are here to help.
