Christmas Celebrations in Care

Christmas Celebrations – Competitions, Fundraising and Activities 

Have you heard about the delightfully sweet Gingerbread House competition? It will be the 5th charity competition Safe in Sussex have hosted and is open to applicants of all ages and is the perfect chance for people to get creative whilst donating to a great cause. Safe in Sussex, the charity dedicated to preventing domestic abuse supports people in West Sussex affected by domestic abuse and offers practical and confidential advice and support. 

All you need to do is pick a theme for your gingerbread house entry, and then it’s time to get creative and crafty! Heaton House even came 3rd in the competition in 2021! https://heaton-house.net/heaton-house-care-home-place-third-in-the-safe-in-sussex-gingerbread-house-competition/ Their entry was a dedication to the NHS working tirelessly through the pandemic and it was a lovely tribute.

The event will be hosted on Thursday 8th December 2022, timings to be confirmed but it will start early evening. It will be a fantastic fundraiser night and great chance to get together with other local companies in the community.

From Safe in Sussex – https://www.safeinsussex.co.uk/get-involved/

Come and enjoy a beautiful display of gingerbread houses. There will be 5 competitions being judged at the event:

Businesses/Schools or Community Group Gingerbread House Decorating Competition – Get your company, school or community group to take part in our gingerbread decorating competition – as a team or individually. This one is £50 to enter and there’s a trophy for the winner. There’s great publicity to be had too!

Adult Gingerbread House Decorating Competition (16 years +) – This competition is for any adult that buys and decorates one Safe in Sussex’s large or small gingerbread house.

Child Gingerbread House Decorating Competition (15 years old and under)
This competition is for any child that decorates one of Safe in Sussex’s large or small gingerbread houses.

Adult Freestyle Gingerbread House Decorating Competition (16 years +) –
This competition is for any adult that makes and decorates their own gingerbread house from scratch.

Child Freestyle Gingerbread House Decorating Competition (15 years and under) – This competition is for any child that makes and decorates their own gingerbread house from scratch.

The competitions will all be judged on 3 things – Imagination, Inspiration, and Appearance.

It really is great festive fun. For the first 3 competitions, we provide the Gingerbread House packs with all the pieces in it, and you put it together, decorate it and bring it along to the event to be judged. For the last 2 competitions all you need to do it contact us to book your place and bring it along to be judged.

Entrance to see the displays will be by donation only.

For more information or to get involved, email Deb West at [email protected]

How will you celebrate with your residents and clients this Christmas?

Christmas is such a special time for all of us who celebrate, and our residents and clients always deserve an extra special celebration. Whether that’s with their favourite foods, favourite nostalgic music, decorations or through connection and fun with friends, relatives and loved ones spending time together is precious.

Connecting with loved ones at Christmas

Supporting residents and clients is at the centre of care – we spend time learning what makes people happy and content, what their preferences are and how we can help them live a fulfilled life. With this in mind, Christmas is all about connection and spending time with relatives, friends and loved ones. For those who may be without any family or anyone local – carers make a huge difference especially (as well as all year around!). Where possible and appropriate, connecting people or assisting to make arrangements can be a great help for those we care for.

How about the magic of festive music?

Music can bring back beloved memories for our residents and bring warmth and delight to people’s faces instantly! It’s a great pick-me-up and everyone’s got their favourite songs they hum along to. Creating a choir with colleagues and staff can make residents see the fun side and join in too, it brings a sense of community into the home. It’s also a really nice idea to bring in local schools to perform their hymns, or other local choirs and musicians. The salvation army take donations and can accommodate well to care homes in Sussex too.

Activities to shine a light at Christmas

It’s a perfect time to connect to the community. Whether it’s fundraising for a charity or organisation, a friendly Christmas card competition, pantomimes to get everyone involved, festive open days when your home is beautifully decorated and cosy, or big Christmas parties with residents, friends and family to get together! These opportunities provide a sense of community and engagement, and to see all the wonderful care provided in homes and out in the community. 

You may be familiar with NAPA (The National Activity Providers Association) already, it is an activity and engagement charity in the UK that supports the sector in order to prioritise wellbeing. They promote activity, arts and engagement through support. NAPA has a vast array of resources, many of it free, throughout the year available here. However, with Christmas coming up they also have a fantastic range of Christmas themed resources online including activity packs bursting with quizzes, video links and warming recipes to staff advent calendars and photo album templates! There’s something for everyone. If you’d like to read more about NAPA membership you can do so here

How do you make your Christmas dinner special?

Christmas food and especially Christmas dinner is often at the centre of the day and a highlight for so many people. It’s the focal point of celebrations and rightfully so! On the big day, people love to share turkey, veg, mash, cranberry sauce, stuffing and all the trimmings. Then of course there’s indulging in your favourite chocolates, gingerbreads, Christmas pudding and mince pies of course!