Senior living residents share their fondest memories of wintertime

The holiday season is in full swing and our residents are enjoying the season. Each year, residents and co-workers come together to decorate our campuses throughout our retirement living and assisted living communities, for the excitement and enjoyment of all.

 

Recently, we sat down with a number of our residents across our various Country Meadows Retirement Communities’ campuses throughout Pennsylvania and in Maryland to reminisce about some of their fondest memories of wintry fun from years past.

 

Here’s a snippet of the fun:

 

Memories from our residents in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania:

Arlene, Age 81
Arlene remembers making snow angels and sledding with her friends and siblings. She recalls it was always fun to go down the hill, but going back up was a struggle, especially after a full day of sledding.

Louise, Age 88
Louise remembers making a snowman outside with her sister, Kathy. She would use a fresh carrot to make a nose and old buttons to make eyes and a mouth. Her sister would look for tree branches to finish the snowman’s arms and scarves she got from her mother to tie around the snowman’s neck.

Jean, Age 95
Jean recounted this sweet recollection, “We used to take our friends up to my husband’s fishing club. We would pull the friends on their sleds from the back of our truck. It was so much fun. Then we would go into the clubhouse for cookies and hot chocolate. It was always a good day.”

Verl, Age 89
“My husband and I grew Christmas trees. It took us seven years to build our house on the Christmas Tree Farm. It was a wonderful place to live.”

Charles, Age 95
“I once was caught with my pants down by a deer! I quickly picked up my gun and actually got the deer! It was always a good hunting story.”

Phyllis, Age 88
“I remember building a snowman and being bundled up in a snowsuit walking to school. They never closed schools back then!”

 

Memories from our residents in South Hills:

Margie, age 79

One year, Margie hit the jackpot—she won the lottery around Christmas time and bought a whole bunch of gifts. She put them in a grab bag in the middle of the floor, and the kids had fun!

 

Mary, age 87

One of Mary’s best memories was when her husband came home from the Army two days before Christmas.

 

Patricia, age 85

One of her favorite memories was seeing the Christmas tree in the morning when she came down the stairs.

 

Patrick, age 77

Patrick has wonderful memories of sled riding on the streets with his girlfriend, who is now his wife.

 

Memories from our residents in York, Pennsylvania:

Keith, age 82

Keith fondly recalls Christmas Day at his grandmother’s house and a soccer match with his father on Christmas morning.

 

Doris, age 99

Doris’s favorite recollection was watching the kids line up on Christmas morning. She fondly remembers a countdown for the kids to run and get their presents. Their Christmas tree would be put up the night before, so the next morning the kids would be seeing the tree for the first time.

 

Exploring senior living at retirement villages like Country Meadows

At Country Meadows, we believe in the power of friendship, community and laughter, especially around the holidays. Life is simply better, and sweeter, amid the merriment of the season.

 

If you would like support for your health and plan on choosing a retirement community near you, we invite you to contact us. We would be glad to give you a tour of any of our senior communities and introduce you to our full range of services. We have 10 Pennsylvania retirement homes—in Lancaster, Hershey, Mechanicsburg, Pittsburgh, Wyomissing, York-South, York-West, Allentown, Bethlehem and our newest community, Easton—as well as a Maryland retirement home in Frederick.