December at MASON 2020

A Christmas Message from Larry Monroe It is hard for me to believe that 2020 is coming to an end and Christmas is upon us. The challenges of this year and the constant weight of the pandemic and world events have in some ways left me feeling a bit robbed of the festive joy I typically experience leading up to December 25. It’s as if I suddenly awoke from a deep sleep and realized Christmas is here. Perhaps you can relate.

It has been an unprecedented year on so many fronts. There is so much uncertainty in the world. Today I want to encourage you with a message of hope, that in spite of the chaos that spins around us there is a reassurance and confidence that the world can’t comprehend. We don’t have all of the answers to the world’s troubles, but we can know the One who does. Soon the entire globe will celebrate a baby born miraculously of a virgin mother and laid in a lowly manger. The Son of God was sent as a gift, the supreme expression of love who grew to be a man and who willingly gave His life as a ransom for the sins of the world. We have hope in Him, not that we will live lives without turmoil, confusion, stress and challenges, but hope in that the toils and troubles of this world need not define us, nor will they be our final story.

For many, Christmas will be different this year. Many will be without the usual gathering of loved ones and friends. Kathy and I want you to know that as you celebrate our Lord’s birth this Christmas, our prayer is that in the midst of it all God will bless you with peace and joy through His Son Jesus Christ.

Merry Christmas, Larry of the Month are a type of coniferous evergreen in the Pinacea (or ) family. These large trees grow up to an average of 60 to 200 feet tall. Spruce trees sport four-sided needles that are attached in a peg-like fashion to its branches.

They are used as a Christmas trees, lumbar, pulpwood (to make paper), and medicine. Fresh spruce shoots are an excellent source of vitamin C. In fact, Captain Cook used them to make spruce to prevent . Native Americans used spruce roots to weave baskets and bind birch bark for canoes. In Hopi legend, Salavi, a revered ancient chief, transformed himself into a spruce when he died, making the trees sacred. Spruce trees are native to and thrive in temperate climates. They Spruce Tree can live to be around 200 years old. However, Old Tjikko, a Norway spruce located in Sweden, is thought to be the world’s oldest living tree-at 9,550 year-old! 1 Birthdays, Celebrations and Updates

December December Birthdays Anniversaries

This information is for Christian Village at Mason residents.

This information is for Time Warner/Spectrum Christian Village at Mason residents. Billing Questions

Call (877) 772-2253 and mention you are a CVM resident. This may better assist the Spectrum representative to help you with your concerns.

CVM Transportation

Transportation services are available to all CVM residents. Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Grocery Concierge Cards - $25 for 12 round trips For errand (non-medical) trips within 5 miles. Pickups Appointments by Mile or Hour For medical appointments or other trips that would Please turn in one list per week into the Front Desk not qualify as a concierge trip. (4 or 5 items). Due to increased number of lists submitted each week and limited staff, you may • $2.00/mile from drop-off and pick-up not get your groceries until Friday. We will try to • $25/hour for the driver to stay with you accommodate you in a timely manner. Please give list Scheduling Transportation and money to the Front Desk or call Transportation Call 701-3415 to schedule an appointment at (513) 703-3415.

2 Chaplain’s Corner BY CHAPLAIN TOM MOLL Worship Services Prayer List Join us at 10:15 a.m. for worship every Sunday If you have a prayer request, drop it off in my office, morning on Channel 1851. You will be able to listen e-mail me at [email protected], or leave to beautiful hymns and Christmas carols, observe the a message on my phone (513) 701-3406. Please Lord’s Supper, and study God’s Word. We are now allow me to pray for you. able to have up to ten people from the apartments In Memory of: Jeanne Brand, Robert Campbell, Joan attend services in the chapel (and can add additional Cawdry, Filomena Dechellis, Robert Johnson, John services if needed). Moorhouse, Betty Moyer, Ruth Schnier December messages will focus on the birth of Christ, what it meant to people then, and what it means for us LITTLE BABY IN A MANGER today. Little baby in a manger, Nestled in a bed of hay, Communion Sets Available Do you know what lies ahead Communion cups and wafer sets are available in the As You’re born on Christmas Day? outer lobby on Fridays and Saturdays for pickup (or we will deliver to you). It has been encouraging to see Little baby in a manger, so many sets taken every week. Thank you for your With your parents standing by, desire to remember the Lord’s sacrifice on the cross Do you know the world You came for by partaking of these emblems of His body and His One day will demand You die? blood.

Little baby in a manger, Offerings Having no place in the inn, December is often marked by a generous spirit Do you know the price You’ll pay of giving and a desire to bless others. One of To redeem mankind from sin? the ways that you can express thanks to God for His indescribable gift is through offerings for our Oh, love beyond all other loves, Compassionate Care Fund or for the Stone Center. A love we cannot understand, You may put your gifts in the basket in my office or drop them off at the front desk. You know! And still you come To lay down Your life for man. Bible Studies Little baby in a manger, Bible studies will not meet in December but will Nestled in a bed of hay, begin again after the first of the year. If you have a We praise You for the sacrifice begun suggestion for what you would like to study, please feel free to let me know! As You’re born on Christmas Day. Kay Moll

3 Social Services BY HEATHER CARTER, LSW, DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL SERVICES

Podiatry Audiologists Services

Due to restricted visitors in the main building, Dr. Norman will be in the Village Clinic on 1/7/2021 for audiology visits have been canceled. If you are having Garden Home residents for podiatry services. Please difficulty with your hearing aids or would like to speak contact Dr. Norman at (937) 431-4749 to schedule an with the audiologist, you can contact Hear All Hearing appointment time. at (513) 801-9322. The Well BY KYRA SCHROER, DIRECTOR OF FITNESS & WELLNESS

It is hard to believe that I’ve been the Director of the four wellness areas and we celebrated successes Fitness & Wellness at The Christian Village at Mason along the way or identified barriers to success. Fast for almost 2 years. This will be one of the many things forward five years and I was doing similar work with I’ll list on my “grateful list” for our family adults as a health coach for Tri-Health. Zoom call. I never imagined that the pandemic I thought as winter approaches it might be a good would hit in early 2020 and close the fitness center. time to remind you that I am here to support you in It has been very difficult for many in this community your wellness goals. We all have to be creative in the which makes the wellness part of my job even more social fitness area. I’ve never been on a Thanksgiving important. My background is kind of broad and I Zoom call but if I set my expectations low and have feel like many things I’ve done have led me to this an attitude of gratitude it might be kind of fun. I would community, and this role in particular. Wellness encourage you to think about setting a small goal encompasses much more than fitness and mind, body, in one of these areas (mental, physical, social, and and spirit can’t be separated. spiritual) since they work together for overall health. I One hat I’ve worn as a volunteer is Personal Fitness am available by phone (513) 701-3455 or email kyra. Merit Badge Counselor for my son’s Boy Scout troop. [email protected] if you need to talk it I’m a proud mama and must brag that Ryan made through with someone. I’ve found that most people Eagle rank in 2013. The badge that I taught these already have the answer they just need someone to teenage boys is called Personal Fitness not Physical listen while working out the details. Fitness because the physical part was included but it involved much more. These soon to be young men had to explain reasons for being mentally, physically, socially, and spiritually fit. They also had to set goals in each of these areas that were Specific, Measurable Attainable, Realistic and Timely (SMART). I encouraged the boys to begin with a small action step in one of

4 Auxiliary & Resident Organization News

2021 Spring Flower Sale instrumentals and singing. Larry will be including several songs with guitar accompaniment. By Donna Black Be sure to mark your calendar. A very Merry Christmas is wished to all from the Black’s & the Spreen’s this holiday season! Although CVM Employee Christmas Fund we are all into decorating our homes and Christmas trees for the holidays, next month we will post the By Bob Moorehead order forms for the Auxiliary Spring Flower Sale! So Our campaign for the 2020 Employees/Residents for now, enjoy your Christmas Season but remember, Christmas Fund is winding down for another year. January is the month to begin to “Think Spring!” We thank all of those who have contributed this year so very much. With the no tipping policy in effect at Kroger Community Rewards CVM, the Fund is a positive way for us all to show our Program appreciation for the services provided by our CVM employees, especially during the Holiday Season as By Pat Wilson #1 2020 comes to a close. Remember, purchases will not count for the Auxiliary The 2020 Christmas Fund Committee adapted the until after you register your card(s). By registering theme “HEROES WORK HERE” for our campaign Mason Christian Village Auxiliary, it costs you this year. How appropriate for such a strange and nothing. It does not affect any perks and discounts different world we live in during these coronavirus you already receive. Kroger already donates a portion days! With those limitations this year, the checks will of money back to the community. By registering, be distributed by Administration with the usual pay you choose where your portion of that money goes. schedule. We hope next year to be able to do this at What better way than giving to your auxiliary. The ID our “normal” Christmas Party in December 2021! #UY336, https://www.kroger.com/communityrewards Also, please stay tuned in to TV 1851 to learn the total If you do not yet have a Kroger Plus card and shop dollar amount donated this year and the name of our at Kroger, these cards are available at the customer winner of the “Guess the Amount Donated” contest! service desk at any Kroger. (They don’t cost anything Frosty says, “Thanks again for all the help on this and save you money when scanned at the cash 2020 Christmas Fund Campaign!” register.)

A Christmas Celebration All are invited to tune into 1851 December 16 at 7:00 p.m. for a special Christmas musical celebration THANK featuring pianist extraordinaire Tom White and our CEO, Larry Monroe. Many are familiar with Tom White, YOU! who has played many times in our dining room and for special events. Tom will join Larry in a concert of beloved secular and spiritual Christmas songs and carols, consisting of a combination of featured 5 Library News Though we do not have a firm date for when we will launch this new channel, we are estimating that we By Mary Ann Watrous: will have it up and running before the end of this year. All the transition work will be handled by Touchtown New Additions from Mid-October to Mid-November: and there should be minimal interruption in service. • Daisy Goodwin, Victoria The station number will remain 1851.

• John Grisham, A Time for Mercy (New) Stay tuned! • Catherine Ryan Hyde, Take Me With You, Say Goodbye for Now, Heaven Adjacent Operation Christmas Child a • Debbie Macomber, Any Dream Will Do Success! • Susan Orlean, The Library Book Despite Covid-19 interfering with CVM resident • Jodi Picoult, The Book of Two Ways (New) participation, we were able to pack and donate over • Nora Roberts, Hideaway 100 boxes! Over 178 million children in more than 150 countries will have received an Operation Christmas • Nicholas Sparks, The Return (New) Child shoebox. The project delivers not only the Mason Public Library Outreach, Friday, December 4, joy of what, for many kids, is their first gift ever, but 11:00 a.m. also gives them a tangible expression of God’s love. Special thanks to our Memory Care Guardian Center New 1851, Coming Soon! residents, Garden Apartment residents, Trudie Pringle and Janet McNamara, (pictured) who helped pack the By Lizz Stephens boxes as well as numerous donations provided from One of CVM’s main forms of communication is our CVM residents, family members and employees. local TV station, 1851. Unfortunately, the company that supports 1851 no longer exists so we cannot make improvements or enhancements to the system. In addition, staff that utilizes the system reports that the software is cumbersome. We explored other providers and have found one that will fit our communities’ needs called Touchtown.

Touchtown specializes in senior living technology. They have over 20 years’ experience and many of our local competitors use them as the provider for their community TV station. Touchtown will provide us with a more modern looking station catered to our staff and community needs.

With Touchtown, our staff will be able to access the system remotely giving them more ease of making updates. There will also be a wide variety of attractive slide options that can even be customized to match our branding. It will allow us to schedule movies to play and most excitingly, we can stream live content from a phone, camera or laptop offering flexibility to broadcast events in locations other than the Chapel. 6 Old St. Nick When I was a little kid and Christmas was near, there was always talk of Old St. Nicholas. I was surprised when other children were talking about Santa Claus coming to visit them. My grandma knew everything, so I asked her about this Santa Claus. She told me that the original Santa Claus did not inhabit an ice-home or a workshop near the North Pole. His name was St. Nicholas and he lived in the Near East.

As I grew older, I discovered St. Nicholas was a fourth-century bishop of Myra in Turkey. It is said that he saved three daughters of an impoverished family. He secretly slipped into their home at night and put a bag of gold in each of the girl’s stockings as they dried by the fireplace.

As this legend grew over the years, the parents in Holland provided bulging sacks of presents to their children via Sinte Claes on St. Nicholas Feast Day on December 6. Gradually this Feast Day was set to coincide with Christmas. The Dutch brought Sinte Claes to the New World and the first mention of the trans-formed Santa Claus appeared in the 1771 New York Gazette.

Until the 1880’s, people picture Santa as a slim, stately gentleman in bishop robes. Things changed when Clement C. Moore wrote “A Visit from St. Nicholas”. It became one of the world’s most favorite poems, describing the lovable character who became the personification of Christmas giving. This jolly old elf with white beard, rosy cheeks, and a droll little mouth traveled over rooftops in a miniature sleigh with eight tiny reindeer. As Clement C. Moore’s old “St. Nick said as he rode out of sight: “Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night.”

By Dick Biedinger

7 BY RUTH ODOR, GARDEN APARTMENT You Never Know RESIDENT

THE BEST THING ABOUT CHRISTMAS

Try as I may, I cannot recapture the anticipation, popping corn, and carols sung by the church choir. The the excitement, the joy that I used to experience at joy on the faces of my children on Christmas morning. Christmas time. I put up some decorations (maybe a tree), bake some cookies (if I find the energy), turn on Suddenly one day I decided that I was wrong; the best some carols. But it’s not there! thing about Christmas is not remembering. The best thing about Christmas is knowing. Knowing that long Then I decided that the best thing about Christmas is ago in a land faraway a woman held a newborn Baby remembering. So I set out on that journey. in her arms. The Incarnation! God had come to earth! Knowing that shepherds on a hillside saw a glorious My first doll!--sitting under the Christmas tree-- a sight and heard a wondrous message; that they hurried large baby doll dressed in a pink organdy dress and to Bethlehem and knelt before that Baby, wrapped in wearing a pink organdy bonnet! My treasure for swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. The Messiah years. Then there was the Christmas when I was only had come! One day He would feed a hungry multitude. three or four and said my first Christmas “piece” at One day He would cause a blind man to see. One day the church program. I was rewarded with a piece of He would die on a cross for the sins of all the world. chocolate candy. For years my brother, father, and I We know that the pictures on the Christmas card are dragged our sled over snow-covered hillsides looking of an event that really happened; that the words of the for the perfect Christmas tree. Of course when we carols tell a story that is true; that the drama enacted got it home, it was too tall for the living room. But on the church platform depicts a moment in history. my father sawed off enough for it to fit. How can I We know! forget the smells of Christmas--pine from the tree, spices from the cookies and cakes baking in the The best thing about Christmas is knowing Immanuel! kitchen. The sounds of someone wrapping presents,

The Christian Benevolent Association does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnicity, sex, religion, age, qualified handicap or veteran status.