During the holidays, it’s easy to forget those we don’t see – which is why the staff at local nursing home Kindred Forestview decided to throw a Christmas party Thursday for their residents.

Local songstress Grace Morrison, along with some elementary and middle school students, entertained the residents with traditional carols, while the staff served eggnog. A staff member dressed as Santa Claus also came in to sing with the seniors.

Those residents who could not make it or be moved to the dining room got special in-room visits from Morrison and the other carolers, who went room-to-room and sang to them.

Activities Director Maureen Sanchez said she appreciates anyone who decides to give their time to the older folks at Kindred, because “it’s priceless to see their reaction.”

“Some of them have absolutely no one,” Sanchez said. “Some – their family doesn’t visit at all. And the first thing they think of during the holidays is family.”

She said the people the seniors love to see the most are children. Because the Building Blocks Daycare center is located right near Kindred, Sanchez said, she is able to coordinate several activities involving the children from the daycare. On Wednesday morning, the kids trooped through the decorated halls on a Christmas parade route for the seniors.

“The kids … enjoyed seeing all the decorations, at the same time as coming in to give back and carol,” Sanchez said. “The residents had put together a thank-you bag. … We had little spring water bottles, fruit snacks, pretzels, pencils, stickers, erasers – it was just a little way of them saying thank-you. And [the kids] made Christmas cards for the residents. It was like a gift exchange.”

Sanchez said the kids came for Halloween, too, with a Halloween costume parade.

“They love that interaction,” Sanchez said. “It’s the best therapy for them in the world.

In August, students from the John W. Decas Elementary school gave autumn-themed colored pictures to the seniors. Though autumn has since passed, Sanchez said none of the residents wanted to give up their drawings, which she had hung on the cork boards in each of the seniors’ rooms.

“Their faces lit up, because they knew that they were from the kids,” Sanchez said. “To know that a child took the time out to color that picture and give it to them means a lot to them.”