One warm night, I walked around our resort and took many pictures of all the Christmas decorated homes. This year we had many homes that were decorated. It would be hard to pick a winner this year. It really looked like Christmas!
(Courtesy of Sandra Gilbert-Abel)
We had our annual Evie’s Christmas Tea and Nancy Newton and her committee did a great job of entertaining the ladies at our resort. The ladies wore hats to the tea, and there were some beautiful ones and some unusual ones. Tea and cookies were served.
Rosie Meyers was in charge of the entertainment, and she presented the six great men’s aquatic swim team that had us all laughing with their antics.
Another act was a group of senior ladies from a nursing home who performed their dance moves. They called themselves the Fast and Furious dancing girls.
We also collected money for the cancer society and items for the pregnancy center. Thank you, Nancy Newton and Rosie Meyers, for a great day.
Luminaries were placed at each home to be lit on Christmas Eve. Rich Abbott and his helpers completed this annual event. Looking up and down the streets when the luminaries were lit was a sight to behold. Thank you, Rich.
Residents started arriving for our Christmas Eve service between the rain showers. I think the rain kept many away from attending the service.
The service celebrating the birth of Jesus was beautifully presented by Jeannie and Mick Liggett, who portrayed Mary and Joseph with baby Jesus laying in a manger. The beautiful voices of Laureen Hutt and Linda Swinaker playing their guitars led us all in the carols that we sang between Pastor Jim Austin reading of the savior’s birth. We closed the service singing “Silent Night.”
A big thank you too who helped to put on our Christmas Eve service.
The tables were very festive, decorated with snowmen, flowers, candles and other Christmas decorations, for our Christmas dinner. Most tables had 12 to 14 persons, and this seems like our Christmas with friends since we are away from our family for Christmas. Our association provided the ham and each person brought a covered dish to share for the table that they were sitting. A big thank you to Harry Hersey and his committee for preparing the delicious ham.
We tried to go Christmas caroling on Christmas Eve, but the weather didn’t cooperate, so we decided to do it on Christmas night. With Santa hats and songbooks in hand, we traveled up and down the streets sitting on the back of the trailer pulled by the company truck driven by Delmar Baker.
We sang Christmas carols and wished all those along the streets a Merry Christmas. A thank you to Sandy Gilbert-Abel for organizing this event.
Rainbow Village residents were very generous this season for Toys For Tots. We purchased 18 bikes and helmets to present to them. We also had lots of toys for the children in Zephyrhills. So many needy children in Zephyrhills were blessed with these many gifts.
This is what the Christmas season is about, blessing others that are in need. The real reason is the birthday of our Lord.
Now that the year is coming to an end and a new year will begin, we wish you all a blessed Happy New Year.
By Sandra Gilbert-Abel
Published January 7, 2015
