Hill House spent the start of the week getting ready to celebrate the Big Christmas Lunch making centre pieces and decorations. The Big Christmas lunch was a massive success and a celebration of the amazing team work we have here within our staff at Hill House. The second half of the week was jam packed with singing, music and virtual carol services along with games and crafting.
Monday started with therapeutic colouring session, others enjoyed board games and family visits. The afternoon the home came together to enjoy a game of floor bowls.
Tuesday the lounge played white board games A to Z of christmas related things. Garden view lounge enjoyed target throwing games using the interactive activity centre.
The afternoon garden view lounge played table tennis. Table tennis, also known as ping-pong and whiff-whaff, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball, also known as the ping-pong ball, back and forth across a table using small rackets. There was a lot of laughter in the lounge even those not wanting to played watched on and cheered everyone on. Others played Christmas songs and danced to their favourite songs.
Else where in the home, we carefully made stunning table centre pieces for our Big Christmas lunch, we all loved embracing the spirit of Christmas offering to turn ourselves in table centre pieces if we hadn’t made enough. Others knitted or read the daily papers.
Late Tuesday night a team of Elves transformer our lounge into a stunning christmas dining room. With banquet tables and chairs, a Special thankyou to Bryony, Julie, Jade, Helen and the mainanence men for sourceing extra tables and chairs from around the home.
Wednesday morning the home was full of hussle and bussle as staff layed the tables ready for our
Big Chritsmas lunch, our amazing activities staff had made us personalised tabel favours, and used knitted angels that were donated as table place settings, it was amazign we got to keep the angles to hang in our rooms afterwards, it was so lovely to be able to help staff get ready for the big day ahead.
At 12noon everyone from across the home, joined together in the festive celebrations, there wasn’t an empty seat. Old friends sat together while making new friends, were tucked into turkey roast with all the trimmings while staff waited on us serving us, wines, sherry and an array of soft drinks off the drinks cart, others offered us additional extras like, bread pudding, cranberry sauces. We pulled crackers and shared our cracker jokes with one and other. We them placed our pudding orders with chef, a traditional Christmas pudding and cream or chocolate fudge cake, some of us enjoyed a little of both (it is Christmas after all)!!
We just want to say a special Thankyou to all the staff for making our Big Christmas lunch so special and bringing the Christmas magic to all of us.
The afternoon ended with a Christmas carol sing along although must of us opted for an afternoon nap after indulging a little too much.
Thursday morning, we spent the morning arranging flowers to be displayed around the home, this is also a time for friends to meet up and chat, while doing a relaxing and therapeutic activity. Others spent the morning exploring sensory activities or read the daily papers.
Thursday afternoon louis came to Hill House for a Christmas Carol sing along. Research has found that music can promote relaxation, improve productivity and lower stress. For us, pleasing melodies can deliver even more benefits for physical and mental health, memory and important social connections.
Friday morning, we were invited by Age UK Surrey to virtually attend their Christmas carol service from Guildford Cathedral, it featured, hymns and carols, school nativity and a time for reflection. Alliteratively we made Christmas cards and decorations or enjoyed a cup of tea and cake with one and other.
Friday afternoon a small group of us played cards, others opted for dominos or therapeutic painting.
We spent time reminiscing and sharing stories of the childhood and our families.
Saturday was filled with activities from Giant snakes & Ladders, water colour painting and a sing along hymn session. We also managed to find time to watch a Christmas movie ‘The snow Queen’ Saturday afternoon.
Sunday morning, the virtual Church service were played with a busy attendance this week, those who didn’t wish to attend enjoyed card games, poetry reading and a Christmas Quiz. The afternoon we streamed live to the salvation army’s carol service ad enjoyed ice creams and drinks while watching and singing along. Others helped make a pin the nose on the snowman game for next weeks, Christmas carnival.
