I feel awful for posting this so late. It's 10 days until Christmas. But I would like to encourage any person to do some goodwill, and to make and deliver at least one card to a local nursing home.
There's a piece of my heart that goes out to those who suffer from anxiety, depression, and/or mental illnesses. I suffer from a mixture of the three, so I will pretty much do anything I can do to help someone for just a second. Did you know that there is a serious increase in depression rates among senior home residents during the holiday season? There's a name for it: Seasonal Affective Disorder. The holidays can make some seniors feel alone and long for "home". There are some who don't get many visitors, and they are reminded of that when Christmas comes around. And there are others who just don't feel the cheer they once had. Not all residents feel this way, but you'll possibly be bringing a smile to the sad while sending cheer to the cheery if you send out cards.
This day last year, I worked at a day care. My class alone (of 7 students) sent out over 100 cards to the nursing homes! Although, I never saw their faces, I just know that some of our cards can made an impact.
Even just signing or drawing pictures on store bought cards can make a difference. (Dollar Tree has packs of 20 or 40 for $1!) So you don't have to be creative, and it doesn't have to be super time consuming. Any kid or adult can do this.
You never know what one small gesture means to someone. So I really want to encourage however many people I can, to spread some holiday cheer. Let some of the local nursing home residents know that they are important, and they have not been forgotten about!
'Tis the season, right?! We'll be hand-delivering our "jolly" tomorrow morning.
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