It may be that your parents live far away or you’re taking your family vacation during the holidays. Or this year you’ll have to spend time with your spouse’s side of the family—it’s their turn to see the kids. You’re feeling sad, worried about your aging parents being lonesome. The good news is that you can actually put together new ways to make the holidays special for them. You can still stay connected and celebrate across the miles. In fact, you could invite your entire family to begin a new holiday tradition!
“Zoom” –It’s Not Just for Meetings Anymore!
Put together a virtual Christmas or New Year’s Party when you organize the entire family to conference call at the same time via computer. You can use Zoom or other programs like Face Time –ask the teens for recommendations! Just be sure to arrange in advance and give everyone access. Imagine different household locations tuning in with their PIN numbers at the same pre-arranged time. Someone will need to be the host—how about you, it was your idea, after all! Everyone comes “on the air”, offers a greeting and says who they are—some of the family may have grown up even more than last time you saw them!
Create Your Own Virtual Christmas Program!
You’re in charge but get ideas from everyone in advance. You can pray together, read scripture about the Christmas Story, sing carols, offer blessings to each participant. Grandparents can open the gifts sent to them by the family; they can also watch the “Littles” open the gifts they sent. Sponsor a family Ugly Christmas Sweater contest and win a prize! You get the idea—probably everyone will have a suggestion to make the event merry and bright!
Sure, this will take advance planning and communication among participants, but hosting a family gathering in person also requires even more, so go ahead and just do it! Maybe it won’t be perfect this year. But that will create a holiday memory/story for next year, when it’s someone else’s turn to play host, be the creative genius, and the family hero/heroine who got the party started for an entire family scattered across the state, region, nation or maybe even the world!
Happy Holidays to everyone from all of us at Residences Senior Living! Let us know if you’d like us to help arrange a Facetime with your loved one because you cannot join him or her this season—we would be happy to help!