December 2003
Baptist Communities Celebrate Christmas
As the Christmas season comes around again the activity in our communities turns up a notch. Smiles are abundant. Always at this time of year the number of special visitors and programs increases. Sunday School classes sponsor parties and bring gifts and goodies. Carolers stroll the halls with music of the season. Families come to celebrate with residents and families share with others so everyone gets a little extra entertainment.
Each community has developed its own traditions over the years. The residents of Clairmont Crest will be going to the Christmas production at First Baptist Atlanta’s dinner theater. This year they will ride the community bus to enjoy a holiday dinner and watch the rendition of “It’s A Wonderful Life”. Several residents and volunteers join in a day of fun as they trim the trees and deck the halls of Clairmont Crest, creating their own wonderland in the lobbies and activity rooms. The Christmas gift shop will be open on Fridays and Saturdays throughout December displaying decorations, arts and crafts that residents have created as well as some lovely commercial items. Residents can do a large portion of their gift shopping without leaving the community. For those who enjoy doing the mall scene however there are weekly bus trips to local malls. Another Clairmont tradition is the open house tour held this year on December 16th. During this tour residents open their apartments to others and show off decorations and share favorite Christmas treats. There are prizes awarded for the home voted most outstanding. Also drawings for prizes are made among those who tour all the homes participating in the tour.
At Garrison Personal Care volunteers have made donations for three gorgeous live trees which fill the halls with the familiar scent of Christmas. Staff and residents will decorate the trees and enjoy sharing stories of favorite Christmas events. There will be plenty of Christmas cheer at the parties and meals planned for Garrison residents by volunteers and staff.
Baptist Inn will also have trees to decorate, special parties and gifts to share. Our community churches are faithful in their holiday celebrations with the residents of Baptist Inn. Transportation will be provided for residents to attend the musicals and pageants of local churches.
For all of our communities Christmas is a time of celebration and a time of recalling favorite memories from years past. Most of all we at Baptist Retirement Communities make this a time of worship and thankfulness for the Gift of Life that the Christmas Holiday commemorates.