10 exciting Christmas activities for seniors

Christmas is a time for families to come together. Check out these 10 fun Christmas activities for can be enjoyed but seniors and families alike.

About Christmas

Christmas, in specific, is celebrated on Dec 25 every year. It is viewed as both a religious occasion, but also a commercial and cultural phenomenon. This is something that has been cemented over the years.

As a religious matter, Christmas is seen as an emblem of hope. Christians celebrate Christmas Day as it serves as a reminder of the birth of Jesus who is viewed as more than a spiritual leader, but a saviour for humankind's fall from grace.

Meanwhile, when it comes to cultural customs, non-Christians have come to celebrate the day as well. Generally, they gather with family and friends, exchange gifts, decorate their houses and neighbourhood, and participate in caroling or other fun activities. People often take this time to celebrate and be merry.

Regarding the history of Christmas, even before Jesus' time, the middle of winter has been a time of celebration for some parts of the world. For instance, here are some stories:

• Early Europeans would celebrate light during the darkest days of winter. During the winter solstice, the bitter cold days of winter are almost over.
   
• In Scandinavia, the Norse would celebrate Yule from December 21 until January. Fathers and sons will bring home large logs in view of the returning sunlight. They will feast until the logs burn out.
   
• In Germany, some may honour the pagan god Oden. It is believed that the god would check on his people during nightly flights. As he could have the power to decide who would prosper or perish, most people would stay inside.
   
• In Rome, Romans would honour the god of agriculture Saturn and also observe Juvenalia, a feast to honour the children of Rome.

Overall, Christmas has become a worldwide phenomenon, a reason to gather and celebrate.

Christmas activities for Seniors

There is no reason for anyone to miss out on the fun of Christmas activities and that includes your old folks Here, we list down 10 holiday-themed activities that are safe for your senior loved ones to join in on the festive fun! You can also add your own variation to the ones listed below.

• Decorating the place with holiday-themed items

To get everyone into the holiday spirit, decking up your house and Christmas tree with lights and ornaments would be a great start for kids from one to ninety-two. You can put up a Christmas wreath with a red bow at the front door, set up a Christmas tree, and hang large stockings on the wall as part of the decorations.

To spice things up, you can turn this into a Christmas DIY project. Prepare some art supplies like paper, cardboard, wood, or even clay to make your own ornaments and props. For seniors who might find it a challenge to use the cutting tools, assign them an easier task like drawing, folding the paper, and hanging the finished art pieces around the house.

• Baking and cooking

The Christmas season is also filled with delicious goodies! There are many treats available for sale, but making it together with your loved ones makes it extra special.

• Gifting

Most families tend to practice exchanging gifts during the season. Ask your elders if they have particular gifts in mind that they would like to give out to their loved ones. Then, accompany them to the mall or teach them how to purchase the gifts online. Get ready with some wrappers, cards, and pens, and get creative with the gift wrappings!

As it's the gifting season, they might also be interested to give to the needy within the community. Help them to fulfil their wish and acknowledge their generosity and thoughtfulness to make them feel empowered that they too can impact someone's life this season.

• Watching holiday-themed shows

Themed shows often trend during the matching season. In this case, Christmas-themed movies are popular for a get-together session. Popular examples are like It's A Wonderful Life, Home Alone, and A Christmas Carol. You can either watch a classic Christmas movie or enjoy a new show with everyone.

To add some fun, everyone can pitch in their ideas on what to watch. You can ask everyone to put their written suggestions in a box and get the seniors to make a draw.

There can also be a short discussion after the show for a deeper understanding of what part they liked best about it.

• Get a little competitive with Christmas games

No matter your age, games serve to create laughter, fellowship, and fun. These are some game ideas that you could try with your family or community:

• Christmas charades — take turns to act out based on Christmas-themed items or scenes
• Trivia night — include fun facts about the Christmas holiday and get everyone guessing, like "When did Christmas begin? Where did the idea of Santa Claus first originate?"
• Christmas carol Pictionary relay — split into a team of two and get your seniors and young ones to guess what Christmas Carol their teammates are drawing

Depending on whether your games are done in-person or online (due to existing Covid-19 conditions, at the time of writing), you can put together some games to suit the circumstances. It is also important to take into consideration if your seniors are mobile or have other conditions that may affect the nature of the game. You can project the game on a screen, or have a young-old tag team for some games too.

• Share stories with one another

Christmas is also a time to reunite with loved ones and reflect on the year as it comes to an end. As each generation grows up in a different timeline, you can prompt the children to ask their grandparents about the olden days and life experiences. The children can also share their latest happenings, which may be significantly different from their grandparents' time. Offer a listening ear over a cup of hot cocoa and see the conversation flow!

• Sing Christmas carols

In some cultures, Christmas caroling is an activity that people engage in. They will sing carols together, going from house to house, or from one shopping mall to another. Usually, they will have a schedule listing their caroling venues.

Alternatively, you can put on the tunes and sing along in your own home or centre. Seniors can gather and choose some carols to sing together. You can warm up with We Wish You A Merry Christmas and Jingle Bell Rock, before attempting other melodies.

• Make holiday cards

Do you have loved ones that are far away? Holiday cards are an easy way to show others that you care despite the distance. Whether it is in an electronic format or a physical copy, you can decorate, write and post them together.

Help your seniors and everyone else alike to be able to express their feelings, in both decoration and writing. In addition, you can also record a Christmas message in audio or video format to share the blessings with the receivers.

• A Christmas meal together

Being able to set aside time to eat together is often one of the best gifts for family and loved ones. Whether the meal is extravagantly lavish or homely, the time spent to make the gathering happen is worth the effort. Each person can take charge, be it decorating, cleaning, following up on the Christmas meal attendance, etc.

For a personal touch, each person can bring meals in a potluck style! Otherwise, each person can have a say on the menu. Not only that, you can contribute some games and giftings during the gathering.

• Secret Santa event

This is gift-giving with a twist. The person you are buying a gift for does not know that it is you, initially. Some families and communities may practice having a wish list or having thematic gifts for all receivers (i.e. something green, gifts under RM50 (S$15.36), etc.). The receiver can take turns guessing who is their gifter, or have it revealed in an orderly fashion. In some cases where seniors are not going out to shop, they can ask their extended family members to help with the gifting process.

What makes this idea fun for the seniors is that everyone can put their time into thinking, how do I make the other person smile? What's next?

How do others celebrate Christmas?

Other people around the world also celebrate Christmas in their own festive ways.

These are some of the activities which you may wish to adopt into your own culture as well:

• In Poland (and Polish communities), everyone breaks off a piece of the Oplatek, which is a paper-thin wafer with an image of the Nativity scene on it. A holiday greeting is shared before passing the piece along.
• In Sweden, Finland and Norway, St Lucia's Day is a part of the Christmas celebration. This commemorates the woman who is said to be among the first Christian martyrs. There will be a candlelit procession, where the eldest girl in each family is dressed in a white gown, often wearing a wreath, with candles.
• In Greece, a seafaring country, decorating Christmas trees and boats is a regular affair. Boats were traditionally set up to celebrate the return of their men from the sea adventures.
• In Germany, Christmas markets pop up across the country, selling seasonal food, drinks and gifts.
• In the Philippines, there will be a lot of lights and a great time of feasting and dancing. Big Nochebuena parties are thrown on Christmas Eve.
• In Austria, the Christmas season is not all fun and play. Krampus, a half-man, half-goat character, comes to scare the bad children. Some men dress up as Krampus for the parade.
• In Singapore, the Christmas season sees one of the most impressive decorations along the streets. Not only that, there is usually a marvelous display in the Christmas village.
• In Switzerland, children get advent calendars, be they store-bought or handmade. Each day, the children get to open a little treat, with the last one arriving on Christmas Eve.

Celebrating Christmas Safely

In view of one's health in the pandemic season, or other possible ailments when one is aged, here are some ways to celebrate Christmas with caution.

• Host a small celebration rather than large parties
• Host in an open or outdoor area if possible, to allow good ventilation
• Keep good hygiene at all times
• Limit the sharing of food (prepare common utensils for scooping, or make use of a single-person serving type of dishes)
• Go for online shopping, or shopping in less crowded stores (this may mean choosing an alternate time or venue)

When gifting, you can consider dropping the items off at the doorstep (contactless gifting).