Adopting someone for Christmas

My Nickel’s Worth

When I was younger, since my dad was a pastor, we visited quite a few nursing homes and retirement homes.  I began to realize that some people did not receive very many visitors.  So, we tried to visit them and let them know that someone cared about them.  My family adopted a woman named Frankie who had no family of her own.  Each Christmas we took her a gift and spent time with her.  She was a retired music teacher, and she played songs for us on her piano and told us the funniest stories.  We remembered her birthday and baked a cake.  We invited her to our holidays.  We let her know that she was special to us.  We called her our adopted grandma, and she told everyone about us.  

The other day, a friend of mine was talking about adopting a senior adult for Christmas.  He said that his family asks the nursing home for the first name of someone who is lonely and then asks for their favorite snacks (unless they are on a restricted diet) and something they may need—such as a new blanket or warm house shoes.   I thought that was such an awesome idea.  Maybe the person does not live in a nursing home but is just a lonely neighbor who has no family close by.  Consider inviting them to your home for Christmas dinner, take them a meal, or just take over a plate of cookies and stay a while and visit.  Perhaps the person is craving a chocolate shake or just wants to tell you about his/her life.  Listen to their stories.  So much wisdom can be learned from our older generation.

The holidays can be a lonely time for so many, but perhaps you could continue to check on this person, even after the decorations are packed away and the world is thinking about spring.  Consider being a friend.  If we live long enough, we will all be older some day.  It doesn’t escape us unless we die young.  Our older generation deserve quality of life, and it doesn’t take much sacrifice to make someone feel wanted and special.  Grandma Frankie made a difference in my life, and I like to think that we made a difference in hers.

Think about who you can adopt for Christmas—or for the next year—or for the rest of his/her life.  Invest in our older generation.  The blessing will be yours.