At our nursing home in West Sussex, we love a reason to celebrate, and Christmas is no exception. We enjoy going all out for our residents and their families to make sure we all make the most out of the festive season.
So what does a Christmas at Country Lodge look like? Continue reading to find out what we have been doing and what we still have planned for our residents this year (2022).
Christmas carol sing along
Christmas carols are a staple to the festivities at our nursing home in West Sussex.
This year, at the start of December we had Lucy, a pianist who frequently visits us to put on piano recitals and accompany our carol singing.
Of course we sang the classic carols such Away in the Manger, Silent Night, Hark the Herald Angels Sing and O come all ye Faithful. Joining in with the carols was the perfect way to start off Christmas and everyone found it incredibly uplifting.
Residents Christmas party at our nursing home in West Sussex
On Monday the 12th December we hosted our annual Residents Christmas party.
This is always a fun event as it is full of Christmas games. Some of our favourite games to play at this time of year are a Christmas quiz, Anagrams, and guess the carol song lyrics. Our residents always get involved in the games we play, so the lounge and dining room was full of laughter, and cheering.
Of course no Christmas party is complete without a yummy feast, so we had a selection of party food for everyone to enjoy, prepared by our amazing kitchen staff.
Christmas carols and mulled wine with relatives
Christmas is a time to share with family, and being in a nursing home makes that no different. Throughout the year we hold various events at our nursing home in West Sussex for the relatives of our residents, with a special emphasis on this over Christmas.
On the 19th December our residents will get their singing voices back out as we have invited their families to join us for more Christms carols. And it isn’t Christmas carolling unless we have some mulled wine for everyone to enjoy with a natter after we have sung our hearts out.
Everyday Christmas activities
Throughout December we will be hosting our usual activities, but with a little festive twist!
Already we have a Christmas crafts afternoon, where our residents made Christmas tree decorations to go on our tree and tea light houses.
And we can’t forget that we currently have an elf running around the home hiding in different places each day. Our residents are enjoying finding out what he is getting up to as we get closer to Christmas.
Christmas Eve at our nursing home in West Sussex
We like a chilled Christmas Eve here at Country Lodge nursing home in West Sussex.
As usual, this year we will be having a cosy afternoon in the lounge watching a Christmas movie or screened concert with a hot chocolate. What we will watch is yet to be decided with the residents, but we are confident that it will be a relaxing afternoon.
Christmas day at our nursing home in West Sussex
We try to make Christmas day as it would have been at home for our residents. To start the day off we have sherry and mince pies in the lounge. While enjoying that little tipple, we open stockings and presents.
This will be followed by a traditional Christmas lunch celebration where we will pull crackers, enjoy the cheesy jokes and wear our paper hats as we eat.
After truly stuffing ourselves, it is likely that we will all need a rest, so we are planning another Christmas movie afternoon. Again, it will be down to the residents to pick what we watch…. maybe a classic like It’s a Wonderful Life, or a comedy like Elf?
We always offer an online church service in the lounge, at some point during the day, should any residents want to attend.
Visiting your loved one at Country Lodge
Relatives of our residents are always welcome to come and visit their loved ones throughout the Christmas period. We understand that this time of year is all about family, and encourage the relatives to maintain that, even with their loved one in our nursing home in West Sussex.
If you would like to speak to a member of our team regarding our activities or visiting a relative over Christmas, you can call our Registered Manager, Debbie, on 01903 830600, or email her at manager@countrylodgenursing.co.uk.
To keep up-to-date with what we are doing with our residents this Christmas, follow us on Facebook, we love to post pictures here.