The holidays are a time to gather together with friends and family, exchange heartfelt gifts, and, of course – eat a lot of delicious food. Our group homes are no exception. Each year, with the help of other staff, our housemothers put together a big meal for staff, clients, and their families before youth, who are able go for a home-for-the-holiday visit, depart.
Dalla-Vicenza housemother Susan Craig takes great delight in preparing for their holiday feast, which she describes as a traditional Christmas meal. Prepping begins long before the day of - when baking for the annual housemother’s sale, Susan makes double the amount and freezes half for the Dalla-Vicenza Christmas visit, and she makes cabbage rolls in advance.
The youth get in on the action as well – as soon as the Christmas tree is put up, staff begin talking to them about the holiday plans and they set to creating homemade gifts for their families to receive.
Susan Craig with a basket
The day of, Susan and another staff member spend almost the entire day preparing. Twenty pounds of potatoes are cooked and mashed and four turkey rolls are cooked. (She used to do regular turkeys but after a few years learned that it was much more efficient to purchase the rolls, which are deboned and pre-stuffed.)
Tables are pushed together to form one large unit and covered with festive linens before the meal is served. But that’s not all – after everyone has eaten their fill, the families congregate in the living room area where Santa makes an appearance and hands out a gift for every single person!
Susan collects everyday items all year long for Christmas baskets, which every family receives. The youth tuck their handmade gifts in the baskets, toys are purchased for young siblings, and Santa takes care of distribution.
Susan describes the Dalla-Vicenza holiday celebration as “the best day ever”. Gratitude and joy are shown on every face and felt in every heart – for some, this is the only Christmas meal they will partake in this year.
In all of Ranch Ehrlo’s homes, for all of our clients, we try to function as a second family – providing the special feeling that can only be found as the calendar moves steadily into the holiday season.
