Are you keen to indulge in festive fun with your loved one this year?
If your loved one is living in a care home, spending quality time together is more important than ever before. Christmas is the perfect opportunity to take part in meaningful, joyous activities and create many cherished memories.
In this blog, we’re sharing 7 of our favourite festive activities to try with your loved one this winter:
Festive Fun: Decorating the Christmas Tree
Decorating a Christmas tree is a beloved tradition in many households, and often marks the start of the festive season.
At Macc Care, we encourage our residents to help us decorate our homes with a colourful range of decorations to help them get in the spirit of Christmas. This year, why don’t you come along and join in?
You could even bring a small tree to pop in your loved one’s room, where you can spend quality time hanging lights, tinsel and baubles together.
This activity offers the perfect opportunity to open up pathways for meaningful conversations; why not ask your loved one about their favourite Christmas memories from their childhood, or how they think Christmas changed since they were a child?
Baking Festive Treats
There’s little better than the smell of Christmas filling the air; cinnamon, gingerbread, chestnuts — each evoking memories of Christmasses gone by.
This year, why not kick off the festive fun by getting creative in the kitchen? You could bake a batch of delicious seasonal treats for your loved one. They’ll appreciate the care and effort you put into a thoughtful, homemade gift, and you can enjoy the treats together over a warming cup of tea!
At Macc Care, baking is a regular activity on our timetable. The reason for this is that it offers plenty of joy, relaxation and socialisation for our residents but, also, the process of weighing and mixing ingredients, following a recipe, and decorating the final product can all have excellent benefits for your loved one’s health.
It helps to improve their time-management and problem-solving skills, enhances arm strength and dexterity, and helps to boost their mood.
Enjoy a Christmas Movie Marathon
For extra special festive fun this season, cosy up with your loved one and enjoy a Christmas movie marathon!
Indulge in a luxury hot chocolate, and snack on popcorn, while watching some of your favourite festive films.
Whether it’s “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “The Holiday,” or a heartwarming Hallmark movie, you’ll create some beautiful, lasting memories with your loved one.
Festive Fun: Visit a Christmas Market
Christmas markets are packed with festive fun!
Marvel at the twinkling lights, peruse stalls brimming with handmade foods, drinks, ornaments and gifts, sip on a warming mulled wine, and watch the world go by in an excited haze of festive cheer!
Small, local markets offer a quieter and more accessible experience, allowing your loved one to connect with their surrounding community.
Write Christmas Cards Together
Sitting down with your loved one to write heartfelt Christmas cards can be a wonderful bonding experience.
Helping them pen their cards is a thoughtful gesture, and allows them to express their love and gratitude during this season of giving.
Once the cards are written, why not take them on a walk (or drive!) to deliver their cards? Hand-deliver local ones, and pop the rest in the post, ready to make their way to your friends and family.
Attend a Carol Concert, Nativity, or Pantomime
Villages, towns and cities usually put on an array of exciting events in the lead-up to Christmas.
Look at local theatres, schools and churches to see what’s on in your local area, and treat your loved one to a day out filled with festive fun and cheer.
Live entertainment holds a certain magic, particularly during the Christmas season, and offers a wonderful experience to share with your loved one.
Sing along to your favourite seasonal songs at a carol concert, share plenty of laughs in a local pantomime, or embrace the origins of the holiday by watching a nativity performance. Or, if you’re feeling particularly festive, go to all three!
At our Macc Care homes, we’ll be hosting plenty of festive fun activities! Contact your loved one’s home or check out our social media page for more information.
Festive Fun: Take a Magical Drive
This Christmas, embrace the festive fun! Bundle into the car with blankets and hot chocolates at night, and drive round the neighbourhood to marvel at the Christmas lights!
The joy of seeing hundreds of homes adorned with twinkling lights is a delightful experience to share, and is a wonderful way to mark the start of the festive season.
Celebrating the magic of Christmas together doesn’t need to be filled with grand gestures, or be a costly experience. Simply being together is the most wonderful way to embrace the spirit of the season and make beautiful, cherished memories.
From our care homes to your home, we wish you a very merry Christmas!
To find out more about our care services, please contact a member of our Macc Care team.
Alternatively, why not read our previous blog to discover some meaningful Christmas hamper gift ideas for your loved one?
