Hello!

Eldercare Edmonton held its annual Christmas party at the Chateau Louis Conference centre last December, and many of you attended. It was a lot of fun and something many of the ElderCare family look forward to every year. This is my second ElderCare Christmas Party and both times I have come, once as a staff and now as a volunteer, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. If you didn't make it this year, then I want to convince you to come next year. Attendance is always pretty good, but I want you to come because I know you'll enjoy it. Here are, in my humble opinion, the top ten reasons to come to the ElderCare Christmas party:

10. A Delicious turkey dinner.

We enjoyed a succulent turkey dinner with steamed harvest vegetables and a chocolate caramel cheesecake that was so rich and decadent that I got diabetes just by looking at it. It beats previous Christmas dinners where the Mrs and I used ketchup and relish for "Holiday" colours on our 7-11 hotdogs.

9. Door prizes.

Every year we give away door prizes at random. With one lucky ticket you could be the proud owners of lavender scented bath beads and a loofa. (That's something I've never had the courage to get for myself). There were gormet cookies too, but I had my eye on those bath beads.

8. The Swank

Maybe it's just because I don't yet have a job that requires me to wear a suit every day, but I love to get gussied up and go somewhere nice. The Chateau Louis was an excellent venue and with every dressed to the nines I felt like I was an honoured guest at the oscars, or maybe a bond movie. One of our program managers came with bells on. Literally!

7. The Music

This holiday season our ears were graced by the piano stylings of Bob Grey and the swinging guitar of Dwayne Cannan. ElderCare has one of the strongest entertainment networks (if not the strongest) in Edmonton, and these two are regular friends of ours for a reason. They are friendly, talented and fun. They really get my toes tapping, which brings me to my next point...

6. The Dancing

I learned to do a proper two step from a client at ElderCare and haven't turned down a dance yet. Whatever your current skill level dancing at our parties is always all about fun. Trust me, don't be shy. Ask a friendly face if they'd like to hit the floor and cut loose.

5. The Tradition

Our Christmas party is a tradition that we've practiced for over thirty years and one of our volunteers has pictures dating back to the first party. Good traditions get stronger and more meaningful with each year as each person contributes to that tradition.

4. Staff and Volunteer Appreciation

ElderCare is a very appreciative organization. We like to acknowledge our staff and volunteers for their hard work and service whenever we can. We make a point of doing this at our Christmas party.

3. A sense of community and belonging

If you come to the ElderCare Christmas party you may notice something amazing and phenomenal, yet subtle. The Christmas party is a way to welcome everyone to the ElderCare community. Having a good community to belong to is part of what the holidays are all about and when I see the faces of our clients at the party I know they are getting the appreciation and attention they deserve. It is a good time for everyone to forget about the problems that isolate us so often and just belong.

2. The chance to meet others

Whether you're a volunteer, a staff member, a client or a family member the Christmas party is an excellent chance to meet other people. ElderCare is a big family and we so rarely get the chance to get to know what happens on "the other end" of the organization. In many cases our staff and volunteers may only have a extrinsic relationship with family or board member and vice versa. There are few people in this organization that are well connected with everyone at all times. This party is an extremely important opportunity to get to know the people involved in the "other end" and find out a little more about what makes ElderCare work. Or you may just make some new friends.

1. It's fun!

Come on! It beats watching reruns of Law and Order SVU. You'll have a great time! You need a break from routine once in a while, even if you think it'll be more trouble than it is worth (it won't be, but when you're tired anything can seem like a chore). Get out of your house. Let your hair down. And Merry Christmas! 

Matthew Pagels