They have each other for holidays
Leona Pomeraning's first Christmas at an assisted-living facility just didn't feel quite right. There was no cooking to be done, no decorations to hang, no house to fill with family and friends.
"It was hard adjusting," the former Chicago woman said of moving to Oak Crest Residence in Elgin last December. "But it's getting better."
On Monday, Pomeraning, 84, and two friends gathered around a table at Oak Crest for a Christmas Eve filled with playing cards and chatting.
While Pomeraning feels fortunate she will see her granddaughter and niece, who live close by, this week for Christmas, she said nowadays the season is as much about spending time with her fellow residents.
They get together and frost cookies, admire the facility's decorations and lights, and share memories. "It's like a second family here," Pomeraning said. "You get to care about them, to love them."
Vivian Burch feels the same way about spending the holidays at Brighton Gardens, an assisted-living facility in St. Charles. The 86-year-old's singing voice was strained but sincere Monday as she led dozens of friends in Christmas carols from behind a piano, keeping spirits high.
Other than a sister, who also lives at Brighton Gardens, Burch doesn't have any family in the area -- but enjoys the holidays just the same by seeing others smile.
"When I can make you happy, I'm happy. That's my way of living," she said. "I try to make the most of each day because we don't know when it's going to be our last. That's the way mama taught us."
For others, such as Frances Romanelli, the season can drive home unpleasant realities.
"I'm 93 years old and I get Christmas cards sent to me from people I don't remember," whispered Romanelli, who lives at Oak Crest but spends Christmas with her grandson. "It's crazy."
Bill Mundy, who has lived at Brighton Gardens about two years, is thankful to still have fond Christmas memories, such as decorating two trees each year with his wife, Arline, who died in 1999.
Mundy, 86, doesn't have children to pass along his memories, but simply remembering the good times can be good enough, he said.
"My health isn't the greatest, but when I look around, I'm one of the very few that…" he said, trailing off quietly. "Let's just say I'm blessed."