You can still celebrate holidays with your family when you live in a retirement community. Many communities roll out the red carpet for their residents' family members, inviting them to dine either at the community meal or in private rooms. Photo by Denys Gromov on Pexels

• Share

PRINT

When some people consider moving to a retirement community, they worry that the holidays won’t be the same. No yard decorations, no parties, no feasts at the dining room table. 

As communities in the area gear up for Thanksgiving and the December holidays, though, there’s plenty of reason for cheer. From “ugly sweater parties” to early-bird New Year’s Eve parties, there are many ways to catch the holiday spirit. 

“There’s a ton of hustle and bustle within the community,” said Faith Edwards, director of resident Life at Ashby Ponds, an Erickson Senior Living community in Ashburn, Virginia. “You can definitely feel the holiday spirit just walking around campus.” 

At Ashby Ponds, the holiday season ramps up this month with a Halloween masquerade ball around a new fire pit. “Halloween has always been a very big deal on our campus,” Edwards said. 

For Thanksgiving next month, residents won’t have to cook unless they want to. Instead, they can reserve tables for up to a dozen family members at any of the community’s nine restaurants.  

“Thanksgiving is a full Thanksgiving spread — more than we would probably have at our dining room tables at home,” Edwards said. 

For a little more privacy and a homelike feel, there are also a few private dining rooms residents can reserve (no cooking required). Each one has an adjacent living room. One even has a pool table and shuffleboard court. 

If you still want to cook that turkey and mashed potatoes yourself, there are private conference rooms where you can serve friends and family. 

“Our residents will reserve some of these spaces, and their guests will bring an amazing potluck,” she said. 

If you want your family to stay overnight, many communities offer guest rooms for rent to out-of-town family members. These rental apartments are limited in number, so residents need to book early. 

The Christmas season kicks off with a tree-lighting ceremony with Victorian carolers, hot chocolate and, of course, a visit from Santa.  

Perhaps Ashby Ponds’ most unique traditions are its gingerbread house contest and “ugly sweater party,” where staff “decorate this whole pub with ugly holiday decorations.” 

Holidays occur year-round 

At Homecrest House in Silver Spring, Maryland, there’s a holiday celebrated every month.  

“We celebrate anything and everything here,” said Ileana Lopez, marketing coordinator. “[Our residents] love to celebrate all the holidays.” 

Of course, food takes center stage at any party. For Rosh Hashanah, Thanksgiving and other holidays, Homecrest House — an affordable, non-denominational rental community serving kosher meals — invites residents’ family members to an early afternoon supper, served at 2 p.m.  

That way, Lopez said, residents “are able to dine with their family, and then go out later with friends from the community if they want to.” 

At Chevy Chase House, a boutique assisted living community in upper Northwest D.C., residents celebrate almost every holiday, year-round.  

There’s a Cinco de Mayo party in May with colorful decorations, peppy music and Mexican food. A six-foot-tall Easter Bunny visits in the spring. In the fall, there’s a special Yom Kippur break-fast with traditional favorites.  

And in December, residents can get into the Christmas spirit on an excursion to the decked halls of Hillwood Gardens, Marjorie Merriweather Post’s mansion. 

Some places have their own unique celebrations. Every November, Churchill Senior Living, an independent living community for people 62 and older in Germantown, Maryland, throws an anniversary party and Resident Appreciation Night.  

“It’s a great time of year to reflect and appreciate all who help make Churchill Senior Living a great community to call home,” said Matthew Parreco, director of the community, which opened in 2001. 

Then, in December, the property is transformed with holiday décor. “At Churchill, we try to make our residents feel that the entire building is their home, not just their apartment,” Parreco said. “We have caroling for the residents and try to make it very festive for all to enjoy,” he said. 

When it comes to the Jewish holidays, many communities, including Erickson properties and Homecrest House, serve Passover dinner to all of their residents. 

Ashby Ponds adds latkes, matzoh ball soup and other traditional foods to the menus of its dining halls for Jewish holidays. In addition, its Jewish community takes a role in crafting the menu for special meals.  

“They’ll work with our catering department and come up with a meal and have a full, catered meal one night during Hanukkah,” Edwards said. 

Family-free holidays 

What if you don’t have any family nearby to celebrate with? Each retirement community goes to great lengths to make sure no one is left alone.  

One group of residents at Ashby Ponds launched a special club so they can stick together, Edwards said. 

“The Solo Club is for residents who really don’t have anybody in the area. They meet all the time throughout the year, but especially around the holidays. They do a good job of supporting one another.” 

Dozens of residents of Asbury Methodist Village in Gaithersburg, Maryland, come together during the holiday season to help others on their campus.

“Elves’ Day is annual tradition started by residents decades ago,” said Cathy Canning, vice president of corporate marketing at Asbury Communities, Inc. “They get together in one of our large community rooms and wrap hundreds of gifts and deliver them to residents of the Wilson Healthcare Center, our skilled nursing building, which offers rehab and long-term care, and Kinley Assisted Living…It’s an honored tradition.”

For the big kahuna of all holidays, New Year’s Eve, streamers, balloons and cocktails (or mocktails) are de rigueur, but carousing until after midnight is optional.  

At Ashby Ponds, residents have three galas to choose from and a popular buffet. Partygoers wrapped up early last year, Edwards said. 

“They pretended at 9 p.m. that the ball dropped. It’s a fun chance to get dressed up and go out, but you don’t have to stay up all night.” 

For more information, call Ashby Ponds at 1-877-211-6289, Chevy Chase House at (202) 905-0708, Churchill Senior Living at (301) 528-4400, Asbury Methodist Village at (301) 216-4001 or Homecrest House at (301) 244-3579.