Living at Lakeside News

What a gift the month of December has been for our residents. I always fear the individual Thank Yous for fear of leaving someone out, but also feel it’s important to say how much we appreciate every gesture made to us. We kicked off the month by putting up our trees and décor and in the evening, we were lucky to have some of the Bethel Renaissance singers come to sing for our tree lighting ceremony.

The next day we were off to Huntingdon for the Senior Citizens Christmas Dance, Lakeside was fortunate to get to partner with Carroll County Area Aging and McKenzie Senior Center to host this community event. I thank our kitchen staff for providing the desserts and our Director for providing the decorations and a door prize. The Activity Department reached out for door prizes and many of you were so generous; I say Thank You to the following: Deborah Mitchell, Cornelia Pugh, Gentiva Hospice, Maddox Ins of McKenzie, Daniel Hollowell, Cherrywood Post Acute, Gaye Lynn Coleman, Sheila Lott, Super Drugs, Melanie Maddox, Pat Pitt, Bobby Gees, Frank Lacey, Sheila Willis, Auto Zone, Auto Clinic, Quick Lube, Evans Clinic, Lifecare of Bruceton, Henry County Health & Rehab, Cheryl King and Sr. Center Crafters. Local Nursing homes provided the meal, Trailblazers provided the entertainment, the Senior Center organized the Ugly Sweater Contest and provided pre-party appetizers and managed the welcome table, Area Aging secured building, provided all supplies and drinks, volunteers set up, served and cleaned up. The city and county Mayors even joined us, it was a great night!

The weekend was just as busy as we prepared our bus with Christmas décor, donned our Christmas attire, bought candy for throwing and headed out to the McKenzie Christmas parade. We also had a car with Lakeside’s Sweetheart Queen and Carroll County Sr. Fairest of the Fair, Mrs. Peggy Work, who was driven by her son, Lynn Brandon. We saw so many friends in town that day.

Lakeside Sunday School class was invited to attend the Long Heights Ladies’ Ministry Christmas Dinner. This was such a treat, and we thank Mrs. Jan and Mrs. Carrie for organizing and treating our ladies. Becky Ross with Cherrywood Post Acute came with a basket of goodies for a very fun and original un-wreathing game and promised she would see us again soon. We are excited about what she will do next. We also thank McKenzie Church of Christ who treated each resident to a fruit basket.

We organized our Lakeside Choir again this year, and after a few practices, we felt ready to go and spread some holiday joy. We visited Cherrywood and The Waters. We put on our program and shared gifts of apple pie and candy canes for our audience, who joined in and helped us sing some carols. We were blessed to have many people sing for us as well: Bethel Baptist, Gleason FUMC, Wendell Verdell, Rebel Singers, Gleason School along with our faithful monthly performers: Bo Solomon, 3 Old Men, Shamrock Band, Chaplain Randy Blankenship, Kenneth Johnson, Billie Christian & Friends, Larry & Mary Jo and Al & Beth Bailey for an extra special devotion and sing-along. Speaking of Devotions, we thank Richard Ozment for the wonderful lesson shared with us on Christmas morning.

Staff and residents welcomed visitors to our home for a Holiday Open House, and we were overjoyed by how many people came to visit. We made many memories, shared some laughs, took lots of pictures, enjoyed some sweet treats, and were entertained by Mayor Ryan Griffin, who played the piano and sang the afternoon away with us.

The next day, we feasted on a buffet of scrumptious finger foods and goodies prepared by the kitchen, had a performance by our choir, and waited for the man of the hour to show up, and he didn’t disappoint. Santa came right on time and delivered gifts from the residents’ wish list. All in all, we had the best Christmas Day, some residents went out to be with families, while others were joined by their families here and once again, we feasted on a delicious traditional holiday meal.

We celebrated five birthdays this month: Barbara Stigall, Birdie Johnson, Cynthia Brewer, John Waters and Lula Mae Adams.

We took a day or two to recuperate, and then it was time to shift our attention to the next holiday. We celebrated the coming of the New Year with the making of a 2025 Lakeside Time Capsule filled with some memorabilia, along with some predictions for 2026. We had our Noon Year’s Eve Party Lunch with all the glitz and glamour of a midnight ball. The dining room was set with gold-and-black décor, blowers, hats, and beads for all, and champagne flutes filled with faux champagne for toasting. Auld Lang Syne rang out, and resolutions were made for the coming year.

I’ll leave you with the words of Tiny Tim (The Christmas Carol) “God bless us, everyone.” Until next time...