“What are Christmas blues?” asks Elaine Ritz, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

Indeed, no sign of the blues is evident in the room as Mary Bolster breaks out in a spontaneous Christmas carol and Ritz and Eva Bickel join her.

The three ladies — all residents of the Lutz Wing nursing home on the Mayo Clinic Health Services campus — speak fondly of holidays at the facility.

“We have wonderful times,” Ritz said.

One thing that helps, she said, is that they always have something to remind them about the season. There is always something pretty to look at, she said, pointing at a decorated Christmas tree in the room.

Staff at Lutz Wing also make sure there are plenty of activities for the residents.

The Christmas season at Lutz Wing might start with the decorating. Residents help fluff out Christmas tree branches before hanging ornaments. It took a few hours, said Sue Findley, activities director, but that’s OK because they got to help and got to do something they were maybe used to doing in their own homes.

Many residents also decorate their own rooms for the season.

“It’s kind of fun to see some of the residents bring some of those decorations that they’ve had for years and years and years that have a special, sentimental value to them,” said Stephani Geerdes, social worker at Lutz Wing.

The festivities don’t stop there, of course. There’s baking, entertainment, visitors and music. Church groups often come on the weekends and go caroling up and down the hallways.

Bickel is especially fond of the caroling.

“We sing along with the musicians,” she said.

There also are holiday parties. The residents recently enjoyed a pizza party sponsored by Holiday Inn. Santa and Holiday Inn employees dressed as his helpers visit the residents, serve them pizza, and hand out bags of goodies.

Every year, Lutz Wing also throws a big Christmas party for residents and their families. They go down to the hospital cafeteria, so it’s kind of like getting to go out, Geerdes said.

“We make that a very fancy event,” she said, noting that there are linen tablecloths, special entertainment, and another visit from Santa.

This year, all residents will receive gifts from employees on the Mayo campus, including the hospital and clinic. Each department has adopted a resident and will purchase gifts, Geerdes said, kind of like a giving tree at a church.

“It’s nice to be connected to a bigger community right here on our campus,” she said.

Although many activities are offered this time of year, not all activities are right for every resident. Some residents prefer individual leisure time to group activities. As a nursing facility, Lutz Wing also houses residents who may not be able to join in group activities.

For some residents — including those in hospice care — Lutz Wing staff might need to take the activities directly to them, but it doesn’t heave to mean doing something taxing. It might mean bringing a magazine with pictures of Christmas cookies and reminiscing with a resident, Geerdes said.

“And even though someone might not verbalize back to you, the activity staff can kind of talk to them, ‘Remember when,’ or, ‘I remember when my grandma used to make cut-out cookies,'” she said.

“So you can kind of reminisce with people even if they might not be able to respond.”

Through activities, seniors can focus on the good and positive memories they have from holidays past, she said.

While activities are an important part of keeping residents’ spirits up, family support plays a big role as well, Findley said. Many residents have family in the area and often go out with their families for rides, lunches, or other activities.

Lutz Wing being a smaller facility with about 30 residents helps too, Findley said, because a smaller community tends to feel more family-oriented.

Mary Larson, community sales and marketing coordinator at Goldfinch Estates, agrees that family support is important, but not all of the residents at Goldfinch have family in the area.

“It’s not that the families don’t want to be here, sometimes it’s just that they can’t,” she said.

When a resident doesn’t get many visitors, the staff at Goldfinch try to spend more one-on-one time with that resident.

“This can be a time where they get a little sad,” Larson said. “This can be a time where they get a little lonely.”

She said the facility’s activities director, Marilyn Oelke, spends quite a bit of time with residents making sure everybody is feeling all right and listening to their stories.

“Our residents love to talk about their families, and we love to listen,” Larson said.

Getting the residents involved in activities and outings helps keep their spirits up too, she said. Goldfinch tries to offer several bus outings for things like looking at lights, Christmas shopping, and events at churches like lunches and coffee gatherings.

Another thing the residents — many of whom used to be teachers in the area — seem to enjoy are inter-generational activities. The area schools often send students of various ages to spend time with the residents. Students and the seniors recently got together to frost and decorate cookies for a bake sale.

“We utilize that inter-generational piece year round,” Larson said, “because it’s a big, big part of who we are and what the seniors love.”

Lois Schulte, who has lived at Goldfinch for about two and a half years, said most people, including the staff, are in good spirits during the holiday season. And while she hopes to see her sons and some of her grandchildren who live in the area for Christmas, she has a daughter and other family members who live too far away to visit this Christmas.

Otherwise, Schulte said she finds herself spending quite a bit of time with the other residents.

“They get to be your friends, and I have some really good friends in here,” she said.

Michelle Clancey, activities director at Ingleside Inc., recently witnessed an example of the holiday spirit among the residents at the assisted-living facility.

She tries to do a lot of crafts with the residents because she read that focusing on hand-eye coordination helps strengthen the brain and because the seniors seem to enjoy it. Her group recently made a simple wreath out of wire hangers and Christmas ornaments with a bow at the top. One lady, who had really never done much crafting before, made a wreath and gave it to another resident who wasn’t feeling well. That gift really made the recipient’s day, and it brightened up the giver’s day too.

“Her face lit up just as much as the other lady’s did,” Clancey said.

She tries to encourage residents to come out and get involved in group activities because she feels things like baking and crafting make people work together and get to know one another better. In a facility with about 35 residents, Clancey said they all get to know each other.

“We’re a big family here,” she said.

However, she also recognizes that residents can benefit from one-on-one attention too. Residents enjoy reminiscing with someone about holiday memories.

Another thing residents seem to enjoy is when children from area daycare facilities visit for caroling.

“Everybody loves little kids,” Clancey said. “They just make the whole place light up.”

All of the children are 5 years old and younger, she said, so they’re “super cute.”

Ingleside’s residents also get to enjoy a Christmas party every year and a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus.

Marie Wenzel, who has lived at Ingleside for seven years, said she really likes the visit from Santa Claus — and the holiday treats she and the other residents receive.

Santa is sure to visit Lakeview Health Services too, and residents get their photos taken with the man in red.

Along with Christmas crafts, baking, and singalongs, Lakeview offers an annual ladies Christmas tea. Jessica Gronewald, activities director for the nursing home, explained that family members decorate the tables in holiday themes, and then family is invited to join the ladies for tea. It’s special for them, Gronewald said, because there can be a mother and daughter or a grandmother and granddaughter enjoying tea together at a beautifully set table.

“It’s fun because it involves some of the residents’ families,” she said.

All residents also are invited to help decorate for the Christmas season. Some residents have trees in their rooms, but not everybody does, so Gronewald said Lakeview likes to have trees in different locations throughout the campus. Residents often help fluff branches and put ornaments on the trees.

With 60 residents — not including those in assisted living at Woodland Manor or the independent seniors at Maplewood Residence — it seems like the days are busy with holiday activities, she said.

So far Gronewald has not noticed any Christmas blues in the residents.

“Everybody’s been in good spirits,” she said.