Dan at No Facilities is now hosting Thursday Doors. Yesterday and today, Dale and I walked the halls of the apartment building here, working on a scavenger hunt of Christmas decorations that residents have put up. There’s also a door decorating contest!
Here are some of the doors we saw yesterday.
The most amazing thing is that very few of these are the same decorations these residents put up last year! Such creativity! Perhaps it’s because of the door decorating contest. But I think the contest will be won by this woman, a former teacher who lives on the 3rd floor:
I am admittedly lousy at keeping up with a daily challenge, so I am going to take this one by chunks, this time at least!
Dec. 1: Decorations Many people here at our senior community put wreaths and other decorations on the doors and shelves outside their apartments. Last year when it was too cold to walk outside, I instead walked the halls of the apartment building and took lots of photos of decorations. I will probably do the same thing this year. Because of COVID-19, to get us into the holiday spirit, there is a door decorating contest, so there ought to be even more doors decorated this year! Here are a few from last year. I especially like the ones that reflect different ethnic traditions.
I made this collage of some of the door wreaths.
Dec. 2: Family I have a large family so we don’t all gather together. Mostly we get together with the kids and grandkids of my sister and brother-in-law, who live in this same community. Last Christmas, our daughter & son-in-law hosted the celebration at our old house (where they currently live).
My grand-nephew, Josh, shows off his garish holiday shirt!
My brother-in-law wearing a combination of lederhosen, a faux Christmas sweater & colorful socks.
Our daughter & son-in-law, the hosts!
Family gathers before Christmas meal is served. We usually had to use a card table in the living room (pictured here) as well as the dining room table.
Dec. 3: Traditions We have several holiday traditions, such as putting up my collection of creches (Nativity scenes – I have quite a few), a Christmas tree decorated with lights and ornaments, and games – we always play some games! We also sing carols around a piano (if there is one). My sister has two Christmas carol games and we also love to play Charades and Categories. Last year our daughter and son-in-law had a new game for us, where everyone at the table takes turns unwrapping a large ball of cellophane full of little prizes. One person unwraps while another throws dice. When the dice come up as doubles, the person unwrapping has to stop and pass on the cellophane ball. It was frustrating and fun!
My brother-in-law unwraps while my friend Marcia rolls the dice. My sister Mary is closest to the camera.
I think we will have to forego the games this year, because we can’t get together – but maybe we can play Categories via Zoom!!
Norm is back with a new Thursday doors post! He posted about a repurposed church in French Canada – check it out! My contribution this week is photos of doors taken while walking the halls of The Moorings’* main building on a cold day. All the apartments have identical doors, but what is interesting is what their residents put on their doors! Most of the ones I found this week were holiday decorations (especially wreaths – I was on the hunt for wreaths in particular) that their owners hadn’t yet taken down. I’m also throwing in a few that I took in December, before Christmas.
This resident hung colorful decorations from the light fixture outside their front door!
This door has an advent calendar with all its doors open. (Notice the “No Puffins – Alaska” sign!)
Wreath collage!
The apartments also have little shelves outside the front doors, on which many people choose to display other holiday decorations!
Charlie Brown Christmas tree towers over a small creche.
Classic Santa!
Traditional Norwegian painted wooden items
*For those of you new to my blog, my husband and I recently moved to The Moorings, a senior living community in Arlington Heights, IL. We live in a duplex, but I walk the long hallways flanked by apartments on days when it’s too cold to walk outside and I don’t feel like exercising at the fitness center.
Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge continues with her color series and this week is WHITE.
Snow white
Flowery white
Bridal white (two weddings)
Swan white
Architectural white (two styles in Amsterdam)
Somber white (American Cemetery, Omaha Beach, Normandy, France) Leisure white
Lawn ornament white
Prickly white
Styrofoam white
Granny Shot It’s 11-Day Halloween decorations photo challenge is coming to a close! My contribution today is from our community’s Great Pumpkin Contest! There were 14 entries and below each was a little bag where residents could place their votes for the one they thought was best. It was a very hard decision and several deserve to win! Anyway, everyone who participated worked hard on their creation, got inspired, and had fun – which is the whole point of Halloween, isn’t it?!
On this cold October day, I went with my sister, her husband, my niece and her boyfriend to visit the very uncrowded Brookfield Zoo! Here and there were whimsical Halloween displays, so I am posting them here for Granny Shot It’s 11-day Halloween Decoration Challenge (Day 10).
Leisure white
