Wow!  What a tough year.  I’ll be honest, back in October I was looking forward to the holiday season coming to help spread some much needed cheer after this crazy year we have had.  But then COVID reared its ugly head once more and here we are: closings, cancelations and new guidelines being put into place.  More social distancing and isolation is causing holiday traditions and gatherings to be completely crossed off of everyone’s lists and calendars.  I am disappointed and sad, but I am mostly sad for the sweet kiddos and persons served that take part in our services.  Here at Bona Vista we have so many fun Christmas traditions.  Our visits from Santa, the fun holiday talent show and meals and gatherings provided by area businesses, they are all CANCELED! These are things that bring so much joy to our littles and to our bigsJ The joy it brings to their faces will be lost this year.

So, we got creative and are doing what we can to stay cheery! We hosted a Christmas wreath making class for our staff, virtually of course.  We are going to learn how to paint happy little Christmas trees in a virtual class too! We have encouraged staff to decorate their offices and wear tacky Christmas sweaters.  Our friends ITP1 (FCA) came through in a big way and gave our persons served a Christmas parade they will never forget, complete with a fire truck and Santa!! We are trying to keep the spirit of the season alive and not let the current situation bring us down.

We had big plans to display some pretty amazing Christmas trees in our newly renovated Crossing location.  We had our kids and our adults make some pretty special ornaments to fill the trees.  Everyone worked so hard to make the “Life is Sweet at Bona Vista” theme special. Then it happened, we had to put a pause on everything.  I couldn’t let all of their hard work go to waste, so we still put up a tree and decorated with their works of art! I included the picture for your viewing pleasure.

So, no matter what this holiday season brings, keep celebrating in whatever ways you can.  Keep the Christmas spirit alive with the little things.  Even though we can’t keep up with our traditions and celebrate like we usually do, we still have a lot to celebrate and be thankful for!

Happy Holidays My Friends!!