For example, there are Christians, Muslims, Jewish and Orthodox Greek residents living at Leisureworld Caregiving Centre St. George.

“We’re sensitive to that and we do our best to recognize all of them at this time of year,” says Jennifer Darwish, the Toronto home’s activation supervisor.

Hannukah posters and decorations are put up throughout the home, and a group of Jewish volunteers come in to present a Hannukah program, she says. Orthodox Greeks, on the other hand, celebrate their Christmas in January, so festive decorations are kept up until then, she adds.

For holiday season events that involve a mix of residents, a multi-faith approach is taken, says Lionel Ketola, the home’s chaplain. He leads a presentation named “A Celebration of Light,” which focuses on the symbolic aspect that most religions have in common: light. He visits with residents on each floor and discusses stories of Christmas, Hannukah and the Solstice.

“It meets the spiritual needs of all our residents,” he notes. “The program tells stories of celebration that focus on light.”

During his presentation, he incorporates props that are symbols of light for each religion: the advent candle for Christmas, the menorah for Hannukah and a plaster image of the sun for Solstice.

At Suomi-Koti Toronto Nursing Home, the majority of the residents are Finnish. A number of Finnish Christmas traditions are honoured there, says Leila Carnegie, the administrator and director of care.

A family Christmas dinner takes place, featuring traditional Finnish Christmas-time foods such as beet salad with herring, liver casserole and rice pudding with a dried fruit sauce. Santa Claus, who plays a prominent role in Finland under the Finnish name of Joulu Pukki, also makes a visit, says Leila.

Another important tradition is the Christmas Eve sauna, she says. This represents a kind of physical and spiritual cleansing, she explains. Residents that are able will visit the home’s on-site sauna.

Finnish Christmas carol sessions (sung in the language), music and a devotional program are also taking place at the home.

At Shalom Village in Hamilton, most residents are Jewish, which means they celebrate Hanukkah. Hanukkah, which takes place for eight days, started Dec. 19.

For each of those eight nights, families are invited to the home for dinner and to light the menorah, says Pat Morden, CEO. A Rabbi and his family also come, and after dinner, the group sings Hanukkah songs.

However, the Hanukkah season kicked off early this year, as the home hosted the Hanukkah Hustle, a run/walk, on Nov. 23.

“At the end, the runners each got a dreidel and chocolate gelt (chocolate coins). It was a way to teach them (non-Jewish participants) a little bit about Hanukkah,” says Pat. “We also had latkes (potato pancakes) right off the grill. Each member of our senior management team took a turn cooking.”

The Hanukkah fun is set to continue at Shalom Village with an upcoming party for area children and residents. Together, they will make Hanukkah crafts such as dreidels, and munch on donuts, which are a traditional Jewish treat at Hanukkah.

A special Hanukkah tradition that is unique to Shalom Village is the lighting of their 10-foot-tall menorah. Lit with electric light bulbs, the menorah has been put on display at the home each year since 1981, when a resident brought it with her when she moved in.

As Pat explains, the menorah was lovingly hand-made by the woman’s husband in the 1930s and was proudly displayed on their front lawn each Hanukkah. The woman shared this story – and her 10-foot-tall menorah – with the staff and residents at Shalom Village, and a tradition was born.

The woman has since passed away, but the tradition continues.

“That would’ve been quite something, having a big menorah like that on your lawn in 1930s Hamilton,” notes Pat. “To me, it represents building tolerance and understanding, and the importance of memories. It’s something very special to us.”