Christmas at Hilltop

Since the end of November, Shelly Anderson, our activities coordinator, has been decorating for the holidays at Hilltop. She and her helper elves – the residents – have set up multiple trees, strung garland and put up decorations to make our common areas festive.

We have some beautiful decorations on our trees. Each one is themed by color and ornament. We have white trees with gold decorations and blue decorations, green trees decked in red and green and plenty of Santas, snowmen and angels.

We’ve planned parties for residents and their family members. We had our first recently, complete with a visit from Santa, music with the accordion ladies and treats from our cook Becky. Shelly found cute cardboard props to do photos with the residents. They include a snowman nose, reindeer antlers, a Santa beard and more. We got some really cute photos with them. It’s neat how everyone enjoys doing fun photos for the camera!

Shelly and Minnette have fun with holiday props.

Christmas also means cards and presents. Those jobs have fallen to me.

I ordered bright lime green mugs for our residents as gifts. We encourage them to drink a lot of water, and this will help to each have a dedicated, no-spill mug with an easy-to-hold handle that fits every cup holder imaginable. I bought printed cellophane sheets and ribbon and packaged a mug and hot cocoa mix for each resident. Well, technically I’ve wrapped 31 and have another nine to go!

I also thought it would be a good idea to send Christmas cards to residents’ families and some of our business contacts. I should have thought of it in October or November when I could have had some cards printed with a special message. Instead, I had this thought in December, so I was relegated to buying cards and writing them all out by hand. Fifty-some cards later, I think I’m nearly done. Hopefully, it’s the thought that counts, right?

The downside to all this wrapping and card writing is that I really don’t want to go home and do my own. The gifts I have yet to buy won’t need to be wrapped until right before Christmas, so I’ve got time. I do enjoy wrapping.

And maybe I’ll get around to cards next week. Maybe. If you don’t get a Christmas card from me this year, you’ll know why.

Hilltop's first-ever hay ride

We couldn’t have asked for a better day for our first-ever Hilltop hay ride.

When we planned this outing at Hilltop Estate – more than a month ago – we weren’t sure about the weather. October can be fickle. Just because the calendar says it’s fall doesn’t mean it won’t snow.

We forged ahead with an idea to host a hay ride at the Estate, where we have land to traverse, a tractor, trailer and places to gather. It’s a beautiful property, with white picket fences, three horses, a dog and plenty of trees. We planned what we could do to make it fun for everyone. We bought 25 pumpkins from a local grower to decorate. Someone brought a nice corn shock. We made paper flower bowls to hold our treats.

The day finally arrived, and after a good deal of preparation, it was a great success.

Chief among our blessings was the perfect day. We didn’t need coats, although those who were just sitting appreciated a light blanket, hat or jacket. The hazy sun was warm and the breeze cool. It stoked the fire for roasting hot dogs and marshmallows. We ate apple pumpkin bread, puppy chow, toffee bars and pretzels. We drank hot cider and coffee.

Shelly, our activities coordinator, dressed as a scarecrow and brought along her photo booth supplies. She encouraged everyone to wear funny hats and props to have their photo taken. We got some fun shots of residents, their families and even some staff members.

Several of us sang songs around the campfire, relying on our memories to get the words right to songs we sing every couple of weeks with Chuck the Piano Man. The old-time music is embedded in the memories of many of our residents, but some of us are only learning the words now. We did pretty well on standards like “She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain” and “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad,” but we weren’t as sure with “Don’t Fence Me In.” We muddled through.

The highlight of the day, of course, was the hay ride. We helped residents onto the trailer to be seated on bales of hay. There was room for a couple of wheelchairs, too. Once full, it was off for a slow putt around the property, past the house, down the hill, through the horse pasture and back.

We filled the trailer three times for rides. Even staff members and volunteers took a turn. It was relaxing to ride around in the afternoon sun, the hum of the tractor leading us.

As with all good things, it came to an end. It was time to go home or back to work. We picked up and packed up and called it a day – but a very successful one. I’m betting this won’t be the only Hilltop hay ride -- perhaps the first of many.

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Watch the video of the Hilltop hay ride and outing here.

Learn how to make paper flower bowls with this video.

Autumn in Wisconsin

We put away the patio furniture this week. We still have to take down the canopy from the garden area, but we need to get out the ladder to do it. We’ll put away the plant hangers when the mums purchased by a resident’s family member finally succumb to the frost.

The bushes and perennials we planted this year all survived summer. Hopefully, they will make it to spring. The rock beds sprouted more weeds. That’s a never-ending job, it seems. They can wait, though. Soon, they’ll be covered by a blanket of white.

Inside, the windows are closed and the heat is on. Fall items decorate walls and shelves. Our activities have featured apples, pumpkins, ghosts and jack-o-lanterns.

When we come indoors, we kick the leaves out of the way, but some still follow us. Our housekeeper vacuums and sweeps them up. The wind swirls them back in front of the doors again for the next time they are opened.

We’re planning the first-ever Hilltop hay ride at Hilltop Estate. It will be a chance for residents and family members to enjoy time together, featuring a hay ride, songs around the campfire, a photo booth area, treats and more. I purchased a couple dozen pumpkins this week to decorate outside. Someone else is bringing corn shocks. We’ll make our “famous” napkin flower bowls to hold pumpkin apple bread and other treats.

Of course, this all adds up to autumn in Wisconsin. We’re sad to see summer go, but the normal march of time turns the seasons. Let’s enjoy this cooler, prettier time, perhaps with a glass of spiced cider by a fire, and toast what lies ahead.