Holiday "Cheer"

Auntie L lives in "assisted living"--a very good and necessary thing for her at 95. They had a Christmas Party to which each resident could invite 4 family members. Unfortunately for L. I am pretty much it, so I make the effort for her to be a family of "4". It is a Thursday night at 5:30, and it is pretty obvious to me that the people who run this place (with which I am extremely happy) figured out that fewer "family" will show to gobble up the goodies on a Thursday night, when most people in our geographic region are fighting rush hour traffic!(and are therefore not really available!)

There is a harpist (very nice touch) , so many decorated trees that I lost count, smiling staff in glitzy red, gold and/or silver holiday finery, a high school girls choir, appetizers, punch, a buffet, twinkling lights, yummy cookies, and to finish it all off, a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus. The residents seemed to be enjoying all the commotion--as much as elderly residents enjoy anything.

We were seated near the harp--nice, with a "family of four"--another 95 year old lady who is amazing like my departed mother in law (both in look and attitude), her son, son's wife, and grandson who, at about 17, made it obvious that this is the last thing on earth that he wished to do. In assisted living, most people are hard of hearing, so in addition to the harp and the distant singing, there was a lot of conversational shouting. Except for the shouting, the entire event reminded me of the Christmas parties my dad always took me to at his Lodge when I was a kid...at least the punch wasn't bad.

Auntie L enjoyed the ham, and loved the fancy cookies. But the best part of the evening as our visit to Santa... We had to wait in line (just like we did when I was a little girl at the Hudson's downtown, holding her hand) and when it was her turn, she giggled,and really a got a kick out of Santa asking if she had been a good girl! She and Santa posed for a picture (again back to my youth at Hudson's) and we left with her candy cane, reindeer cup, and a tiny teddy bear---with me holding my Polaroid. It was a poignant reminder of the cycle of life. I will go again next year if I have the opportunity--because she enjoyed it, and there is so little joy left when you are 95!

I left the picture of L. and Santa next the picture of L. and Uncle M.on a cruise. Maybe my offering to him that I am taking good care of her... maybe because the picture did not capture the depth of the moment. I prefer to keep my mental picture of the giggles and joy---it doesn't really show in the picture, or much in the person anymore, but it is the Auntie L. that I remember from my youth.