Holiday Traditions

Tis the time of the year to spend time with family doing all those family traditions.  So often our residents can no longer celebrate the holidays as they once did. I remember the first time I realized how important the holidays were to the residents.  I had a resident come to me and say they used to be the pie baker for the family, and the family told her they didn’t need her to make pies that year since she was in a nursing home. She was devastated. She just wanted to feel apart of the family.  I asked her what kind of pies she made.  I can’t remember what she told me.  I do remember asking her if she had a recipe.  The family brought in her recipe and we made an activity out of it.  Several of the other residents wanted to know if they could make something for their family get togethers as well.

One resident was unable to leave the facility due to health issues.  We contacted the family and wanted to know if they would want to have their family Christmas in the facility.  They decided to do that. What a difference that made in their disposition.  After that, I started  asking the residents upon admission what part they had in family holidays.  Some of them didn’t have anything extraordinary and some had a huge part in the family festivities that I was tired just listening to all they did.

We started a discussion about fruitcakes and one resident said she used to get a fruitcake every year from her grandmother.  She said they were awful and could still remember that nasty taste.  Of course, this led to a discussion about fruitcakes and how some were good and others were not. I told them we should make our own.  The looks I got were priceless.  I searched for an award-winning recipe and one that did not require alcohol.  I finally found one.  I bought extra ingredients so taste testing could be done. We looked up trivia and discussed the history of the fruitcake and where they originated.  They had a blast.  Of course, everyone wanted to try the batter as any good baker would do.  We got out some plastic spoons, and everyone tasted the batter.  Several were pleasantly surprised at the taste. The bad part was this thing bakes for 2 hours and then must cool overnight.  The next morning, they lined up to try this fruitcake. One of the residents who everyone had nick named the Grinch, because he hated everything we did, tried a bite at the insistence of several other residents.  He then came to me and asked for a piece.  I had given out all the pieces. The only thing left was a plate of crumbs.  He said I’ll take it. I have to admit I’ve never liked fruitcake, but this one was good. I’ve included the recipe in case anyone is interested.

Fruitcake

1 1/2 cups raisins

1 cup red & green candied cherries

3/4 cup dates – pitted & chopped

3/4 cup candied pineapple – diced

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup coconut

3 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup butter

1 1/2 cup white sugar

1 tsp lemon zest

4 egss

2 tsp lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Line a tube pan with 2 layers of brown paper or parchment, and grease well.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix in raisins, dates, cherries, pineapple, walnuts, and coconut. Stir until all fruit is coated.
3. In another large bowl, cream the butter with the white sugar. Add lemon rind, lemon juice, and eggs; mix well. Stir in fruit mixture. Spread batter into prepared pan.
4. Bake for 2 hours or until a tester comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.

It was such a blessing to be able to give the residents that feeling of being apart of things by allowing them to do things that they could take home to families.  One thing was making homemade Christmas cards or Christmas gifts. One resident was able to make her homemade pumpkin pie.  Yes, we even cooked the pumpkin.  Another one had a homemade red cake with homemade frosting.  The frosting is a flour one that needs cooked. Family said they weren’t able to make the frosting like mom does because it never turns out.  She was able to take that cake to her family Christmas 2 years in a row. Another resident had us make a German family recipe that I cannot remember the name.  I just remember trying to help her stretch the dough.  She would just laugh and say we can patch that. Her family loved the fact that she was teaching others their German traditions.

The residents taught me how important it was for them to still be able to feel needed. This really came into play the year my grandmother went to live in a nursing home. She would do all kinds of baking around the holidays.  When I was in the Navy, she would make cookies and send them to me.  Whenever I got a package from my grandma, I had “friends” come out of the woodwork. When I told Grandma that, she started sending extras. Grandma had dementia and she was no longer able to do any baking. I got contacted of all my family and asked if they wanted to celebrate Thanksgiving in the Nursing Home with Grandma.  They all agreed.  I called the Activity Director and wanted to know if we could reserve an area to bake Christmas cookies with Grandma.  We were able to reserve an area that had an oven.  My mom and I mixed all the batters up for 4 different kinds of cookies and we took them to the nursing home.  I have precious memories of making cookies with my Grandma and several of my cousins. Grandma passed away in July of the next year. Those were some of the most precious memories I have.  I realized how important it must have been for the families of my residents who were able to have those last memories with their loved ones. I may not have thought of doing that for my family if it had not been for the residents in the facilities I worked in.

Activity Professionals are miracle workers.  You help the residents have meaning and purpose in everyday life. I know the holidays can get pretty crazy. I just want you to know you make a huge difference and families truly appreciate you. Thank you for all you do.

Tammy Point – 2025 Leadership Team