Joanne McQuarrie, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter | [email protected]
The Alpine Summit Seniors Lodge is festively decorated each year, but this time around it's even brighter.
"This is a kick-off to the Christmas season. It's COVID, but it's still an important time of the year," said Ornesto Tassoni, facility operations manager for the Evergreens Foundation.
"This year we've gone over and above what we usually do. It's to make sure it feels more homey and to help get people into the Christmas spirit."
The residents absolutely love it, he said.
"It made it so special, especially with people's families not being able to be with the residents," Tassoni said.
He said folks of all ages stroll by to photograph the sights, and the residents enjoy the outside company thoroughly.
"People sit in their rooms, look out the window. We see people come and look, take pictures," Tassoni said. "We're limited to visitors we can have, so we've got lots outside the building."
The front of the lodge is a blaze of colour, with bright lights lining the eaves, garland on the porch railing and red and white candy canes along the steps.
Down from the entrance to the lodge, a 14-foot-tall inflatable Santa Claus welcomes residents and passers-by with arms wide open. Lights are wound around branches on the tall trees in front of the building. A train, reindeer and more light up the street.
Staff have been working hard since the end of October to set up the decorations.聽
Jozef Gold, maintenance manager, brought in a lift so lights could be wound around branches in trees that reached the second level of the lodge.聽
Emilie St. Pierre, maintenance helper, along with Jessica Worth, lodge administrator; Meghan Gifford, activity coordinator; Valerie Bartziokas, resident coordinator and; Tessa Huibers, chef and the rest of the staff worked diligently to set up the cheerful decorations.聽聽
Tassoni said a resident approached him recently.
"She had tears in her eyes and she said, 'Thank you for bringing me back to my childhood and to the Christmas spirit," he said.
More residents shared their thoughts about the fun, festive setting. They thanked the staff, said they were 鈥渓ucky鈥� and 鈥渟poiled鈥�.
One said, 鈥淭hank you Ornesto and your team, for bringing the spirit of Christmas back."
Another added, 鈥淭hank you to our kitchen staff for preparing wonderful snacks for happy hour. (It鈥檚 the) highlight of the week. Best happy hour in town.鈥�
Tassoni said the set-up including the lights, the huge Santa, the train, reindeer will be on display until the Jasper in January festival finishes on Jan. 31, 2021.
