Sophia Snow House

has its roots in the

charitable spirit of

nineteenth-century

Boston. In 1856, a

group of civic-minded

citizens raised money

to operate and main-

tain the Roxbury

Home for Aged Wom-

en. After a century of

care, the home relo-

cated in 1962 to a new

building, and was then

renamed Sophia Snow

House, in honor of

Sophia Snow.

Today, the parent

company Roxbury

Home for Aged Wom-

en, has

affiliated organiza-

tions, Snow House &

Snow Place.

These not-for-profit

organizations continue

their mission to pro-

vide comfort, compan-

ionship, and security

in a warm, homelike

environment for

seniors.

Sophia Snow Place

D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 1

Sophia Snow House

A Retirement Home

Brief History of Christmas Christmas is both a sacred religious holiday and a

worldwide cultural and commercial phenomenon. For two millennia, people around

the world have been observing it with traditions and practices that are both religious

and secular in nature. Christians celebrate Christmas Day as the anniversary of the

birth of Jesus of Nazareth, a spiritual leader whose teachings form the basis of their

religion. Popular customs include exchanging gifts, decorating

Christmas trees, attending church, sharing meals with family

and friends and, of course, waiting for Santa Claus to arrive.

December 25–Christmas Day–has been a federal holiday in the

United States since 1870.

Brief History of Hanukkah The eight-day Jewish celebration known as

Hanukkah or Chanukah commemorates the rededication during the second century

B.C. of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, where according to legend Jews had risen

up against their Greek-Syrian oppressors in the Maccabean Revolt.

Hanukkah, which means "dedication" in Hebrew, begins on the 25th

of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar and usually falls in November or

December. Often called the Festival of Lights, the holiday is celebrat-

ed with the lighting of the menorah, traditional foods, games and

gifts.

Brief History of Kwanzaa Dr. Maulana Karenga, professor and chairman

of Black Studies at California State University, Long Beach, created Kwanzaa in

1966. After the Watts riots in Los Angeles, Dr. Karenga searched for ways to

bring African-Americans together as a community. He founded US, a cultural

organization, and started to research African "first fruit" (harvest) celebrations.

Karenga combined aspects of several different harvest cele-

brations, such as those of the Ashanti and those of the Zulu,

to form the basis of Kwanzaa.

Sophia Snow Place Annual Holiday Party

Sunday, Dec. 11

2:00-5:00

Food, friends, and holiday fun

Due to the large number of those

attending, we do not have any space for outside guests.

Thank you for your understanding!

Hand Washing Awareness Month to dry your hands (This

prevents picking up

germs that were on your

hands when you turned

the faucet on).

The new alcohol-based hand

rubs are effective in reducing

the number of germs on skin

if your hands are not visibly

soiled. The rubs are fast act-

ing and cause less skin irrita-

tion, but it is important to

remember that they are not

effective when the hands are

visibly soiled.

Properly washing your hands

can save money on doctor’s

visits and medicals bills.

That’s extra money in your

pocket.

1. Use Soap and Warm Run-

ning Water (Water should

be hot enough that you can

stand it, and so that germs

are killed).

2. Rub your hands vigorously

for at least 20 second.

(Hint: sing 2 rounds of Hap-

py Birthday song, for correct

amount of time for washing)

3. Wash all surfaces includ-

ing backs of hands, wrists, in

between fingers, under fin-

gernails.

4. Rinse well (leaving soap on

your hands will lead to dry-

ing and cracking).

5. Dry hands well with paper

towel.

6. Turn off the faucet with

the paper towel you used

With cold and flu season just

around the corner, the im-

portance of washing your

hands become more signifi-

cant in stopping the spread

of germs. Hand washing

helps prevent colds, hepatitis

A, meningitis, and other in-

fectious diseases.

The most important thing

that you can do to prevent

illness is to wash your hands

frequently. This washes away

germs that you may have

picked up from people, con-

taminated surfaces, or ani-

mals.

According to the Centers

for Disease Control and Pre-

vention, the best way to

wash your hands is:

Tea at the Taj Hotel

Thursday, Dec. 8

@ 1:00 PM

Enjoy a selection of

exotic teas, pastries,

and sandwiches in the

luxurious Taj Hotel.

Price: $27.00 per person

Deadline to sign up is Dec. 5

The Four Stages of Life:

1. You believe in Santa Clause

2. You don’t believe in Santa

Clause

3. You are Santa Clause

Holiday Photos Wednesday, Dec. 6

@ 2:00 PM

Kerrin will be available in the

Parlor to take holiday photos

of residents.

These photos would serve as a

nice gift for friends/family.

So dress nice!

Door Decorating Contest Contest runs till Dec. 20

1st Place: Gift Card to Roche

2nd Place: Gift Certificate

for Snow Place Outing

3rd Place: Free meal at Snow

Place

Start decorating, the judges are

watching!

St. Nicholas Day is Dec. 6 Put your shoes outside your

door at night on Dec. 5, and

if you are a good boy/girl

you may find a treat in your

shoe.

Or you may find a lump of

coal.

This is an old

Germany tradi-

tion, still

practiced today.

Pauline’s Religious Bookstore

Friday Dec. 9 @ 1:00 * will coincide with the grocery drop off.

Run by the Daughters of St. Paul, this

bookstore has a variety of religious items

for purchase.

Books, videos, music, religious gifts,

greeting cards, etc.

This Month’s Opera

The Mikado

Tuesday, Dec. 7 @ 2:00

Starring Eric Idle (of

Monty Python) and the

English National Opera

in this hilarious perfor-

mance of Gilbert and

Sullivan’s beloved com-

ic opera.

The Enchanted Village

Once, called the Enchanted Village

of St. Nicholas, the holiday display

was originally created in 1958.

Jordan’s Furniture purchased the

surviving pieces at auction in May

of 2009 and restored the vintage

collection to its former glory.

Tuesday, December 20

@ 12:00

We will shop at the surrounding

stores…

Christmas Tree Shop

Target

Kohl’s

Have lunch at local restaurant and

then head to Jordan’s Furniture to

see the Enchanted Village.

Schedule can be adjusted based

on resident preferences.

This Months Documentary:

“The Men Who Danced”

Tuesday, Dec. 13 @ 2:00 PM

Presents the story of the first all-male

dance company in the US. It includes

historic footage of the company per-

forming in the 1930's, capturing the

beauty and rigor of Shawn's choreog-

raphy. This film highlights interviews

with eight of the original Shawn

dancers at a 50-year reunion at The

Pillow in 1982, as well as rare ar-

chival

dance

footage

of these

historical

Thank You to all who

donated for the

Fall Food Drive.

It was a great

success!

Snow Place Classifieds

Wanted: New to slightly used trin-

ket, knick knack items. To be used

for prizes. Items can be dropped off

at the Activity Office.

Volunteer needed to assist vision

impaired resident play Bingo. See

Kerrin if you are interested in

assisting.

Wanted: The front side of holiday

cards. Cards can be dropped off at

the Activity Office.

Wanted: Holiday catalogues, can be

dropped off at the Activity Office.

Wanted: Clean, non-torn brown

bags.

Dinner Outing to Benjamin’s Thursday, Dec. 15 @ 3:00 PM

Enjoy a delicious meal, at

this beautiful decorated

Taunton restaurant.

We are going early to take

advantage of the Twilight Menu.

Menu and sign up sheet can be

found in the Activity Book.

Brown Bag Auction

Tuesday, Jan. 10 @ 3:00

Do you have a great sense of

humor?

Are you a good sport?

Do you like to have fun?

If you answered yes to all three questions,

then you’ll want to attend the Brown Bag

Auction.

THE WAY IT WORKS…

Each article to be auctioned is in a sealed bag.

YOU WILL NOT KNOW WHAT YOU ARE

BUYING. Some things may be worth what you

paid, other’s may not. You might even find a

treasure!

Bidding can start anywhere-maybe a penny, and

go as high as interest continues. It’s Fun!

All attending are urged to put some little trinket

in a bag. Brown bags are available at the Activity

Dept. or at the mailboxes. You may return the

item to the Activity Dept. or Front Desk.

Come ring in 2012

New Year’s Party

Friday, Dec. 31

@ 11:00 am, in the Great Room

Look back at 2011 slideshow

Door prizes & games

Snacks & refreshments

Sophia Snow Place

1205-1215 Centre Street

West Roxbury, MA 02132

(617) 325-7900

The Sophia

Snow Place

Staff would

like to wish

everyone a

safe and

joyous holiday

season!

Sophia Snow Place Staff: Dana Ramish: President & CEO

Cecilia Davlin: Executive Director

Judy Jose-Roddy: Director of Operations

Robert Swan: Maintenance Supervisor

Jean Yin: Office Manager

Christopher Howsen: Dietary Manager

Joan Hurley: Nursing Supervisor

Carmen Occon: Housekeeping Super.

Judy Dovev: Marketing Coordinator

Kerrin Fletcher: Activities Coordinator

Andrea Nason: Administrative Assistant