Every holiday season I get an email from The Holiday Project (www.holiday-project.org) chapter in my area inviting me to sing at a nursing home. Figuring there was safety in numbers (i.e., someone in the group could actually sing and drown out my screeching) I’ve joined them a few times.
The Holiday Project’s homepage states that more than three million people spend their holidays confined to institutions and 60% never receive visitors. Its mission is to “enrich the experience of the holidays by arranging visits to people confined to nursing homes, hospitals and other institutions.” In my area Holiday Project starts up at Halloween and encourage you to show up in costume, then it arrange visits throughout the rest of the holiday season. (Hint: There’s a link that shows you how to start one in your community.)
It’s always a little scary to me to enter a nursing home – probably because it reminds me of my own mortality – and somehow not going into one is a guarantee of eternal youth. Nonetheless, a few of us visited one over the holidays. Each facility has its own rules that we were told in advance; for example, we could bring small gifts for the residents as long as everyone got something and we didn’t bring candy. So, armed with games, puzzles and trinkets, we picked up our songs sheets from the team leader in the lobby and took the elevator up to the third floor.
We also brought along two secret weapons – a pretty little girl named Jana and a people-luvin’ chocolate Labrador named Alice.
Many visitors brought their pets that day, so the nursing home halls were filled with the sights and sounds of wagging tails, caroling and barking. We could hear other groups singing throughout the corridors so we, being innately competitive, geared ourselves up for our singing “A” game.
One look at the songsheets told us that political correctness had invaded holiday nursing home visits – not an “O Come all Ye Faithful” or “Joy to the World” in sight. Instead, our singing choices were “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Frosty the Snowman” and “Jingle Bells.” We sang a few of them then decided to ask the residents what they wanted to hear. Most of them asked for “Silent Night” and many residents sang along with us as they remembered, I’m sure, holidays gone by. All of them petted Alice and thanked Jana for their Christmas gift. No one noticed (or at least told us) that we couldn’t sing. We were a hit!
OK, my apologies for the political rant. Here’s the real message: Grab a few buddies and spend an hour or two this season in a hospital, nursing home, or some other place where someone will be really, really happy to see you.
Sing like no one can hear you.
Get out and give back.
