December 2018 Newsletter: Volume 5, Issue 10

www.provplace.com

The holiday season is upon us! Gift-giving plays a role in three major celebrations

in December: Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. A lesser celebrated holiday,

and another opportunity to give and receive gifts, is Saint Nicholas Day on De-

cember 6. Here in the U.S, tradition tells us to leave out our shoes over night for

St. Nicholas to fill them with coins. In the Netherlands, children leave a shoe out

with food for St. Nick’s horse in exchange for gifts from him. In Germany, boys

dress up as bishops and beg for money to give to the poor. For many Christians in

the world, Saint Nicholas Day is observed as a religious holiday, with fasting, wor-

ship services, and spending time with family.

Who was jolly old Saint Nicholas? Accurate historical records are difficult to find

as Saint Nicholas was born around 270 AD. Historians suggest he lived in modern-

day Turkey (when it was part of the Roman Empire) and he served as a Christian

bishop. He is known for secret gift-giving, as Nicholas the Wonderworker, and as

the patron saint of sailors and children. One legend says Nicholas threw bags of

money into a neighbor’s window when he heard the father couldn’t afford dow-

ries for his three daughters. Other legends include raising children from the dead

and stopping a storm at sea.

Regardless of what holiday or holidays you celebrate, December gives us an op-

portunity to be generous. In the words of writer Deepak Chopra, “the gifts of car-

ing, attention, affection, appreciation, and love are some of the most precious

gifts you can give, and they don't cost you anything.”

At Providence Place this month, we provide multiple opportunities to give the

gifts of presence and attention: our annual Holiday Open House, Christmas tree

and cookie decorating, caroling, parties, and more. Happy holidays!—Brenna H.

Winter Solstice Facts

1. In Minnesota, we receive about 8 hours and 45 minutes of sunlight (7:48 am-

4:34 pm) on the winter solstice. Parts of the southern United States receive up

to 10 and a half hours, and parts of Alaska receive no sunlight.

2. The term solstice has its origins in Latin, which translates to “sun standing still.”

3. In Hollabrunn, Austria, groups of people dress as Krampus, a half-demon, half-

goat creature from Germanic folklore. Traditionally, the Krampus wards off evil

spirits during the solstice.

4. In Ireland, a burial mound from the Stone Age

called Newgrange, has a chamber aligned with the

winter solstice sunrise. A select few celebrate the

Winter Solstice by observing this chamber light up

at sunrise. Similarly, many gather at Stonehenge in

England to watch the sunrise on the solstice. People

sing, dance, and kiss the stones.

5. In Japan, some take baths with yuzu fruit for protec-

tion against the common cold. Some zoo animals do,

too!

New Residents

Stanley H-2N

Timothy G-2N

Granice C-2S

Dorothy A –3N

Yuxiu L-3S

December Activity Highlights

December 6th—Walmart Shopping Outing—Sign up!

December 7th—Donut Sale—9:00-11:00– 1S Dayroom

December 11th—Resident Council Meeting—9:45 on 2N

December 11th—White Castle Lunch Bunch—Sign up!

December 13th—Holiday Lights Tour—Sign up!

December 16th—Holiday Open House—2:00-4:00 pm

December 19th – Food Committee Meeting—3:30 on 2N

December 23rd—Donut Sale—9:00-

11:00– 1S Dayroom

December 28th—Friday Party with Cindi

Scheffler—2:30 on 2N 12/1 Ruthe R 2S

12/3 James S 2N

12/5 John C 2N

12/6 Noel B 3N

12/7 Frank S 3N

12/9 Lester W 3N

12/10 Anne P 2S

12/11 Willard M 3S

12/17 Liz B 2S

12/17 James S 3N

12/25 Minnie S 2S

12/26 Rhonda J 3S

12/28 Caron C 3N

12/29 Anthony L 2S

12/30 Ruth H 2S

December Birthdays

December Monthly

Observances

Bingo’s Birthday Month Write a Friend Month Read a New Book Month Art and Architecture Month

December Weekly Observances Week 1- Cookie Exchange Week Week 1- Christmas Tree Week Week 1- Hanukkah Week 2- Human Rights Week Week 4- Kwanzaa

December Daily Observances 1 World AIDS Awareness Day 2 Advent begins 2 Hanukkah begins 4 Santas' List Day 5 Repeal Day - The 21st Amendment ends Prohibition. 6 St. Nicholas Day 6 Mitten Tree Day 7 International Civil Aviation Day 7 Pearl Harbor Day 9 Christmas Card Day 9 International Children's Day 10 Human Rights Day 12 Poinsettia Day 14 International Monkey Day 14 Roast Chestnuts Day 15 Bill of Rights Day 16 National Chocolate Covered Anything Day 19 Look for an Evergreen Day 20 Go Caroling Day 21 Humbug Day 21 Winter Solstice/ First Day of Winter 22 Full Cold Moon 23 Festivus (for the rest of us) 24 National Egg Nog Day 24 Christmas Eve 25 Christmas Day 25 National Pumpkin Pie Day 26 Kwanzaa begins 27 Make Cut Out Snowflakes Day 27 National Fruitcake Day 28 Card Playing Day 31 New Year's Eve

Jewelry Sale!

December 6th

Front Lobby

Getting to Know You

Brandon Bogan

Have you lived in Minneapolis all of your life? How old are you?

Yes. South Minneapolis, born and raised. I have traveled to a few other states

in the last few years, but Minneapolis is always where I have called home. My

birthday is in May and I am 24 years old.

What is your education?

I went to public school all of my life. I attended Washburn Senior High School

and then got essentially a full ride to the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.

I majored in Sociocultural Anthropology and minored in Japanese because I

love learning about differences between cultures. I graduated in 4 years and I

was the first in my family to graduate.

What is your family like?

I had a large family growing up. I am a middle child, with 3 older brothers and

two younger sisters. We never had a ton of money, but my family appreciated

fishing, a love of reading and board games. After my father passed away dur-

ing middle school, I stepped up and took responsibility for cooking, house du-

ties, and care of my little sisters.

Do you like Providence Place? Do you like your job?

I think we have a great staff, especially in the business office. They are a great

mix of open, friendly personalities and great mentors who help one another. I

really enjoy my job. I love helping others and how each day brings new chal-

lenges to conquer. Learning is important to me and there are so many stories

here. My dream job is to be a stay-at-home dad. In the meanwhile, I want to

learn as much as I can to become a great father.

What does your job entail? What are your duties?

Like everyone here, my job entails wearing many hats depending on the situa-

tion. My core tasks are greeting guests/ residents (receptionist), answering the

phone (receptionist), managing the trust—residents’ accounts (accountant), en-

tering invoices for payment (accountant), helping other departments

(receptionist), and overseeing the other receptionists (Assistant Manager).

What are your hobbies?

I love playing games, both card games and board games. My favorite games are

Magic the Gathering and the board games Sorry and Mao. I love watching and

talking about films and I am a growing foodie. My idols are my father, Will Smith,

and Donald Glover. My three favorite movies are “Pursuit of Happyness,” “The

Dark Knight”, and “Django Unchained.” My favorite restaurant is Brasa in NE

Minneapolis (for their southern cooking), but I also love steak, pork chops, and

corn on the cob.

Favorite Jokes?

I like anti jokes. For example: I don’t trust stairs; they are always up to some-

thing.

If you have more questions for Brandon, you can find him in the front lobby!

(Brandon submitted this photo of himself sitting in his favorite chair. Wow, Bran-

don looks an awful lot like Will Smith!)

—Interview by Patty C

WALMART OUTING!

When: Thursday, December 6th

Time: 9:00 A.M.

If you are interested in this outing, please let a

Community Life Staff know by

Tuesday, December 4th, at noon.

Final list will be posted on Wednesday.

SPACE IS LIMITED!!!

Hidden Picture

Pan Birds (2) Pipe Balls (2) Match

Horn Worms (2) Shark Comb Penguin

Ladder Sleigh Mushroom Fish Pants

Cone Socks (2) Arrow-head Golf club Candles (2)

We were down and in our beds, Happy dreams danced in our heads, When all at once there came a noise, Downstairs, among our Christmas toys. So down the stairway I did creep, To see what had disturbed my sleep, And there amid our brand new toys, Were little men, the size of boys. They hurried to and from the tree, “Come on!” one said, “Now follow me!” So up the chimney they did go, With all our things and tree, in tow. “Hey! What in the world is going on?!” And just like that the men were gone. I thought that this must be a dream, And soon I’d wake up with a scream, So I pinched myself real hard, It hurt! I headed to the yard. On top of the roof was standing there, A tiny sleigh and teddy bear, Around them all those little men, With all the stuff out of our den. The Teddy Bear, he was the boss, And in the sleigh our stuff did toss, The little men, they feared to wait, Like-wise the little reindeer eight. Real nervous was this little crew, Now Teddy Bear was nearly through.

“Hey!” I shouted, “Hey, you up there! Hey, you nasty teddy bear! Put back our toys and tree, you hear! You can’t do this, this time of year!” “Little Boy!” said Teddy Bear, “Back in the house, your feet are bare! And as for this, I’ve just begun! This Christmas joy will be undone!” He cracked his whip and quick as light, The sleigh and crew were out of sight. Back in our house I went to cry, I closed my eyes and wondered: “Why? What caused the bear to be like this? What’s gone wrong on this Christmas? I sat there holding two cold feet, “I’ll go get something hot to eat.” Off to the kitchen, feeling low, My feet still hurt, my walking, slow. Well, when I got into our kitchen, There sat one of those little men! Before him lay a little feast, “I’ll capture him, the little beast! I’ll find out why this bear is bound, To turn this Christmastime around! So, quick and quiet as a mouse, I stalked this stranger in our house.

One-Eyed Teddy Bear

A Christmas Tale by John C.

“A-HA! I’ve got you, Little Fat!” He jumped up quickly where he sat, Look-ing left, then to the right, He rushed at me with all his might! I tackled him without a fear, And hung on to his closest ear, He wiggled ‘round for quite a bit, Then I told him, “Hey you…sit!” And hung on to his closest ear, He wiggled ‘round for quite a bit, Then I told him, “Hey you…sit!” “Now you shall tell me, do you hear? Or I shall pull off your left ear!” “Okay, you’ve got me, I’ll confess How it came to such a mess!” “Indeed you will, now hurry-PLEASE!” He got up slowly from his knees. “Soon boys and girls will be awake, And find this awfully big mistake.” He started in without a pause, “You see, I work for Santa Claus. The Teddy Bear’s the one at fault, He’s locked poor Santa in the vault, And won’t release him ‘til he’s through, He means to turn this Christmas blue! The gifts and trees, all to retake, We had to help, for Santa’s sake. Don’t think we did the least enjoy, Taking back each tree and toy. We had little choice, you see, We helped, to set dear Santa free.”

“Why does this teddy feel so ill, Towards all of us, asleep and still? All snuggled down in our warm beds, With Christmas dreams that fill our heads?” “Well, once he was a handsome bear, With shining eyes and glossy hair, A red ribbon at his chin, You were sure he was to win, The heart of one young girl or boy, Who’d want him as their Christmas toy. Then on one fateful Christmas Eve, One shining eye hooked in a sleeve. In haste occurred, without a doubt, One shining eye was then pulled out! We tried to fix him up like new, With buttons from a shirt or shoe, But nothing worked, as hard we tried, So Teddy Bear remained one-eyed Nothing that we had would match- And he refused to wear a patch. So many years he waited for, Someone who’d just him adore, He’d hoped to find someone who’d care, For a one-eyed teddy bear. Year by year, resentment grew, ‘til one Christmas Eve when Santa flew, To spread the world with Christmas joys, And all those handsome Christmas toys. Now at last his patience flew, All his pent-up anger blew,

Pushing Santa in the vault, Insisting he was all at fault, Vowing he’d not let him out, ‘til this Christmas he’d wiped out. So at least now you can see, Why we stole your Christmas tree, Why we took back the games and toys, And all the other Christmas joys. “I know of just the person who, Would love the teddy through and through, She wouldn’t mind his tiny blight, Would love him long, with all her might. She’s waited every Christmas Eve, A teddy bear did not receive, She’s waited long, just like the bear, To find a teddy lying there, Beneath her tiny Christmas tree, ‘Oh, Santa’s just forgotten me!’ Now she’s asleep, before she wakes, Go get that Bear, for goodness sakes! And slip him underneath her arm, From where he can do no more harm. We must work hard, and without fear, For Christmas can be saved this year, You must find the sleigh and Bear, Off to her house—I’ll meet you there, Tell him we have found this place, But he must double up the pace, And put the toys and trees right back, Releasing Santa, sleigh and sack. So no one in this world will know,

How far this teddy bear did go, When Christmas had turned dark and grim, We’ve found someone who wanted him!” Off to work we both did go, For daybreak’s light, it soon would show, And scarcely in two hour’s time, All was back in season’s rhyme. Trees and toys were back in place, Weary from the hectic pace, The elves and Santa flew away, To return next Christmas Day. And, oh yes, the one-eyed Teddy Bear, In loving arms is lying there—Smiling!

White Castle Lunch Bunch When: Tuesday, December 11th

Where: 1S Dining Room

Meal #1 Meal #2

3 Sliders 3 Cheeseburgers

Fries Fries

Drink and dessert will be provided.

COST: $5

Please sign up with a Community Life Staff member by Friday, December 7th at noon.

Poet’s Place

My Wish for Mankind

I wish for all mankind

The sweet simple joy

That we have found together.

I know that it will be and we shall celebrate.

We shall taste the wine

and the fruit.

Celebrate

The sunset and sunrise

The cold and the warm

The sounds and the silences

The voices of the children

Celebrate the dreams and the hopes

Which have filled the souls of

All decent men and women.

We shall lift our glasses and toast

with tears of joy!

—Ms. Vickie M

Resident Council The Resident Council will be meeting on

December 11th, at 9:45 AM, on 2N.

Please come to discuss two Residents Rights and two Quality of Life issues, as well as the Community Life

Budget Report.

The Resident Council is a comfortable, safe place to raise any questions or concerns you may have regarding the building, staff, or programming.

— by Phil C.

Sports Update: MLB/ NBA/NHL/NFL

MLB: The Red Sox won the World Series last month against the Dodgers.

Joe Mauer retires after his 15th season with the Twins, for six of

which he was an All-Star catcher. Mauer spent his entire career

with the same team, which is uncommon. Mauer’s three broth-

ers also played for the Twins. He’s from Saint Paul and played

football and baseball at Cretin-Durham Hall (high school). He

married his high school sweetheart.

NBA: Forward Jimmy Butler left the Timberwolves and joined the 76ers. The

Wolves will get three draftees: Jerryd Bayless (point guard/shooting guard) , Rob-

ert Covington (small forward), Dario Saric (power forward). These players’ stats

for an average game in the 2018-2019 season: Bayless (has not played due to

injury); Covington (12.3 points, 5.2 rebounds ); Saric (11.1 points, and 6.6 re-

bounds). The owner of the Wolves, Glen Taylor was happy about how players

conducted themselves after the trade.

NHL: Last spring, the Wild owner Craig Leopold fired general manager, Chuck

Fletcher, because the team was losing. Paul Fenton has replaced Fletcher.

NFL: Kirk Cousins is in his first season as the starting quarterback for the Vikings,

and has hit a number of milestones: first division game at

Lambeau field, first prime-time game, and first win over a NFL

North opponent, to name a few. He grew up in Illinois and

was a fan of the Bears.

HOLIDAY LIGHTS TOUR

Thursday, December 13th

4:30pm

Sign up with CL staff if you are

interested in this outing. Final list

will be posted Tuesday, December

11th.

Silver Bells The holiday season is upon us, and to celebrate, the Providence

Place Bell Choir is excited to perform some of their favorite festive

tunes! The Bell Choir was formed in 2014 to provide entertain-

ment at the annual Holiday Open House. The group re-formed in

2015 and has remained active ever since. Founding member, Loda R,

along with Steve P, Mary S, Doris G, Marilyn S, Patty C, Phil C, and John

C practice weekly and have performed periodically throughout the

year. While called “the Bell Choir,” the members actually play Suzuki

Tone Chimes, which look different from a traditional hand bell. The

tone chimes are tubular bells that sound when a hammer strikes the

aluminum tone chamber. The bell choir has worked hard over the past

year, building skill and repertoire, and they are excited to spread some

holiday cheer as they share their music. Be sure to catch their concert

at this year’s Holiday Open House on December 16th!

—Written by Brett Collins, MT-BC

COLOR ME FOR THERAPY!

It seems that for so many of us, the Holidays are filled with memories.

Whether we celebrate Christmas, Chanukah, Ramadan, Kwanzaa, or other traditions,

we can all reach back in our past and recall special times and seasons.

For me, it would be Christmas. There was one Christmas Eve, years ago, that will be

forever etched in my mind. My dad had purchased a brand new stereo for the season.

In those days, that was a big deal: a record player with two speakers that could be de-

tached and placed anywhere in the room, so that you could get that “Surround-Sound”

effect!

Well, anyway, it was Christmas Eve and my dad and I were decorating the tree. We had

some beautiful choral Christmas music playing, when my dad got an idea. He took the

speakers and set them in two different windows that opened toward the street. Then he

said, “Why don’t you go outside and see how this sounds” So, I did. I’ll never forget

standing in the moonlight on that dark Christmas Eve, looking up at the stars, and lis-

tening as “Silent Night” drifted across our entire neighborhood. I remember feeling so

proud that we were bringing the songs of the season to everyone. It seemed that the

concerns, troubles and trials of everyday life drifted away as the music floated out of

our windows, across the street, and down the block.

Over the years of raising our own family, my wife and I made a great effort to maintain

some of the traditions we grew up with and to begin some of our own that we could

pass on. In 1985, when we moved to Minnesota the first time so that I could go to Sem-

inary, some dear friends of ours packed decorated boxes filled with treats and little

games to keep our children occupied for the long road trip. Those boxes stayed with us

all through the years, and as each of the children left our home to begin their own lives,

we gave them the boxes filled with their special ornaments from over the years. They

still have them today, as they’re raising their own children.

Christmas can be a joy-filled time of year, but it can also be a difficult time as we think

of loved ones we’ve lost over the years, or the very tragic and heart-rending things that

are going on in our world every day. Yet, the special memories of people we have

loved and traditions we have embraced can bring a measure of peace and help us to feel

grounded once again.

It is my hope and prayer that whatever your faith, religion or tradition, you’ll be able to

draw a measure of joy and comfort from those special moments in your life from

across the years. May God bless you. As Tiny Tim said, “God bless us, everyone!”

—With love from Chaplain Randy

All are invited to our

Holiday Open

House

Sunday December 16th from

2:00-4:00 pm

Join us for holiday music, food,

and festivities!

Happy December birthday to a French painter, Georges-Pierre Seurat! You may or

may not recall his name, but you probably recognize his unique artwork. This

month I thought we could dive deep into his painting A Sunday Afternoon on the

Island of La Grande Jatte, talk about his unique style and why it’s considered one

of the most influential paintings in art history.

Seurat is noted for devising a painting technique called pointillism. Pointillism is

where small, distinct dots of color are applied to a background. These small dots

of color, as you look at them from a distance, come together to create a larger im-

age. This is how Seurat developed A Sunday Afternoon. This painting is 6 ft X10 ft.

Just imagine how many little dots Seurat had to use to fill that canvas!

And he took such painstaking care in creating this work. He spent over two

years and practiced many sketches, as well as re-working the original painting

several times. The painting style was like nothing that had come before it, and

much of the general public and art critics viewed it negatively. So why now do

we love it? Seurat embraced the subject matter of modern life, which was typ-

ical of Impressionist artists, but he went beyond their interest of just capturing

the moment. Seurat sought to evoke permanence. He wanted this painting to

represent the everyday life of modern man, not just one moment. As he ex-

plained to the French poet Gustave Kahn, “I want to make modern people, in

their essential traits, move about as they do on those friezes, and place them

on canvases organized by harmonies of color.”

People love this painting because it represents people. It isn’t just one mo-

ment, but it encompasses many moments in a human’s existence. Seurat

wanted us to realize that even a simple scene of people in a park can bring

unity. I challenge you to look close at this painting and remember how day to

day life can be monotonous, but you can always find beauty.

—Written by Chloe Tirebuck, Art Therapist, Community Life Coordinator

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Tamales

Food Committee Meeting!

Join us on Wednesday, December

19th, at 3:30 P.M., to talk about

the food and the service!

Sudoku Answers

Frank C

Ardell L

Donald M

Elisabeth V

Terry W

Leo Z

Administrator

Tyler Donahue (612) 238-2566

Director of Nursing

Darci Fiala (612) 238-2504

Assistant Director of Nursing

Nnenna Orjinta (612) 238-2574

Social Services Director

Meighan Middleton (612) 238-2524

Long-Term Care Social Worker

Gabrielle Leahy (612) 238-2573

Transitional Care Social Worker

Maria Eggers (612) 238-2502

Maintenance Director

Doug Schroeder (612) 238-2539

Community Life Director

Brett Collins (612) 238-2538

Rehab Director

Chris Dyer (612) 238-2519

Nutritional Services

Patti Tintes (612) 238-2542

Admissions (612) 238-2545

Staff Development/Infection Control/ADON

Wendy Miron (612) 238-2502

Directory

Human Resources Director

Kristy Larsen (612) 238-2508

Business Office Manager (612) 729-6271

Staffing Coordinator

Meri Santo (612) 238-2572

Registered Dietitian

Andrew Pfaff (612) 238-2529

Housekeeping

Joyce Smith (612) 238-2514

Spiritual Care

Randy Somody (612) 238-2563

Newsletter Committee

John A, Patty C, Philip C, Brenna H, Vick-

ie M, Janice N , Mary S

Office of Ombudsman

Local number (651) 431–2555

1(800) 657-3591

TV STATION GUIDE

2 TPT (PBS)

3 ESPN 2

4 WCCO (CBS)

5 KSTP (ABC)

6 ESPN

7 KMWB – 23

8 WFTC – 29

9 KMSP (FOX)

10 KSTC – 45

11 KARE – 11 (NBC)

12 CNN

14 Home Network Channel

15 Fox Sports 1

16 USA Network

17 ESPN

18 TNT

22 Discovery Channel

23 Learning Channel (TLC)

24 AMA (American Movie Channel)

25 Family Channel (ABC Family)

26 Animal Planet

27 Lifetime

28 TPT

29 History Channel

30 A&E Network

31 HGTV

32 Food Network

33 Trinity Broadcasting

34 FSN (FOX Sports North)