FARMINGTON – After altering traditions for Halloween and the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, Activities Director Shelley Seavey and Nurse Manager, Cindy French of Edgewood Rehabilitation and Living Center have come up with a plan to try and give their residents something to look forward to for the Christmas season.
Family members of residents as well as any other community members are invited to decorate a Christmas tree, artificial or live, and bring it to the Edgewood Center between Thanksgiving and Dec. 14. The Edgewood staff is hoping that with the community’s help, they can create a Christmas tree forest on their property for the residents to enjoy. Community members can also bring wreaths for the staff to hang on bird feeders and trees outside residents’ windows, or gingerbread houses to be enjoyed from inside.
“I’m trying to be creative and think of things to brighten up the holidays. They can bring the trees and we’ll figure out how to light them up every night! I would even take just tree donations. Anything to cheer up the residents,” Seavey said.
There’s no doubt that this holiday season is looking different for everyone, but for the residents at Edgewood, things may seem especially bleak. Limited by restrictions, both in place for the residents’ health and for the safety of the building, Edgewood will no longer be open to offer in-person visits to residents’ families.
“With the CDC guidelines changing all the time and the spike in Covid cases in Franklin County, if the residents see their families it’s through a window,” said Seavey, on why this year’s communal decoration effort is so important.
Involving the community in the Christmas season at Edgewood isn’t new. Edgewood has been collaborating with the Western Mountains Baptist Church for the past 15 years to help fulfill residents’ Christmas wish lists that Seavey sends them each year. Edgewood also hosted a scarecrow decorating competition in the fall, inviting members of the community to leave their best scarecrows on the Edgewood property for the residents to view at their leisure. The event was a delight for the residents, but Seavey is hesitant to share with them her plans for this communal Christmas decoration effort. With the uncertainty that has characterized the past few months, Seavey is waiting until people start calling to make arrangements to drop off their holiday contributions before she will tell residents the good news. Seavey has faith that the community will embrace the season of giving and that this event will be a highlight for the Edgewood residents’ Christmas.
“I’ve truly been blessed with this community. People have always come through,” she said.
Those interested in contributing to the Christmas decoration effort should call the Edgewood Center at 778-3386 and ask for either Shelley Seavey or Cindy French to make the arrangement to drop off their wreaths, gingerbread houses, or trees.
