There are only 3 more sleeps until the big day arrives. All around the world children are on their best behaviour, bedrooms are being tidied, and a space is being cleared for whatever Santa may bring. Grown ups are frantically scrolling Amazon and waiting patiently for grocery deliveries, fingers tightly crossed that their one missing item isn’t the turkey. Office workers are winding down, the Christmas party rumours still hanging in the air.

And what about us? What is Christmas like for myself and for others who reside in the country’s care homes? Well for us it is a time of almost childlike excitement, a month of mince pies and hot chocolate, visits to garden centres and coffee shops. Our more leisurely lifestyle gifts us the pleasure of time, time to create, time to bake, time to indulge in Christmas films and party games. We’ve trimmed the tree, baked the treats, we’ve braved the shops, and wrapped our gifts, we’ve sung along to our favourite carols, and we’ve reminisced about Christmas past.

The home is looking beautiful, there is a buzz of excitement and the aromas of cinnamon and orange hang in the air. The magic of Christmas is not in the gifts, it’s not in the turkey or the tree, it’s in the people that we share it with, our families who have brought us so much joy, our friends, old and new who listen to our stories, our concerns and who laugh at our jokes. It’s in the people around us, the chef who so lovingly prepares our meals, the housekeepers who keep our home clean and tidy and do so with a smile and a cheery tale. It’s the care team who go to great lengths to look after us and the lifestyle team who never cease to amaze with their creativity and passion. It’s being surrounded by love and it’s being part of a crazy extended family and immersing yourself in the joy that they bring.

Whatever you are doing over the coming days and whoever you are doing it with, we hope that you have a wonderful time, and that amongst all the shopping and the cooking, you have time to look around you and bask in the joy of togetherness, the warmth of your family and friends and the magic that Christmas brings.

Merry Christmas x