Retirement home helps seniors get in the Christmas spirit with donated holiday wreaths

"We were just trying to bring some Christmas cheer here."

WEST FARGO, N.D. — It’s the season of giving and a senior living community is helping spread holiday cheer.

“We were just trying to bring some Christmas cheer here and I just posted anybody who wants to donate a wreath. I really didn’t know if anybody would read it, really didn’t know the response and really it was the next day it went crazy. The community is so awesome,” Eventide Sheyenne Crossings’ Dir. of Life Enrichment, Becky Butenhoff said.

Becky Butenhoff wanted to do something special for seniors at Eventide Sheyenne Crossings.

So, she reached out to people on Facebook.

It didn’t take long for donations to come pouring in.

“We have over 60 wreathes that we got and it was just constant and coming in or we would find a wreath outside of the front door, someone wanted to donate it so we have a lot of beautiful wreaths that came in,” Butenhoff said.

A few local organizations such as the RHO CHI society for NDSU pharmacy students wanted to spread the holiday cheer even further.

“This population we serve them as pharmacists and we’ve just seen throughout this whole experience how they’ve really been affected by the pandemic and so we just thought that offerring some treats and go to really just encourage them during this time would be really beneficial for them,” NDSU Rho Chi Society member, Eva Byerley said.

The senior care center says the holidays can be lonesome for those living at the facility, so they are encouraging people to keep the holiday spirit alive with some of their programs.

“You can adopt a grandparent virtually so if there is a grandparent that you’d like to adopt, we can zoom in and you can visit with that person, the holidays get lonely anything you can do well be here to help,” Butenhoff said.

The care facility has even more festivities planned for seniors this holiday season.

“Were going to be doing our first ever Christmas parade so we’re going to be decorating a bunch of carts with Christmas stuff and then we’ll be passing out gifts and Christmas caroling and music all through here,” Butenhoff said.

Butenhoff thanks the community for helping with donations to spread holiday cheer.