Christmas is often a very hard time for the residents of the Dale House. It is a time I look forward to because of family, laughter, fun, and being together. For the residents, it seems to just serve as a reminder of the disappointment they have experienced in their lives. Many of the kids have celebrated Christmas (or Christmases) in jail, without family, without decorations, presents, love. Why should they be excited for Christmas? Its just a time to remind them they are alone.
The DHP does a great job to try to change the emotions the residents have that surround Christmas. We recognize it is a hard time, but really try to show the kids how loved they are and give them a Christmas to remember. One way we do this is to decorate the house!!
In order to decorate a house for Christmas…you have to have a tree!!! So, Ted (one of the permanent staff) took about 8 kids out to the woods to pick out the perfect tree. And perfect it was (pictured to the right).
We then spent a family night making our own ornaments for the tree, decorating the tree, writing out Christmas lists, thinking of Christmas wishes, making red and green chains to decorate the house, and putting lights on the front of the house. Each kids got to participate in every activity. It was so fun to watch them “let loose,” be a kid, and celebrate Christmas like it should be celebrated.
The finished Christmas tree……before it fell!
No comments:
Post a Comment