Dinner at seniors centre
After four years at the Lakeview Heights Community Hall, this year a team of dedicated volunteers is putting on a Christmas Day dinner at the Westside Senior Citizens’ Activity Centre.
” We have outgrown the Lakeview Heights Community Hall,” said Daryl Duhamel, an event organizer.
Last year’s dinner attracted 80 people, making the Lakeview Heights Hall cramped.
The dinner is open to everybody and is aimed at people who would otherwise be alone, small groups such as elderly couples or newcomers to the community. Dinner is by donation. Organizers are preparing for close to 100 guests for this year’s event.
While Duhamel knows there are lots of Christmas dinners in the weeks leading up to Christmas, she said it’s just not the same as going to a dinner on Christmas Day.
“Christmas Day is not a time to be alone,” she said.
Doors open at the Westside Senior Citizens’ Activity Centre at 1 p.m. Christmas Day and guests can socialize and enjoy musicians playing carols on the guitar.
Dinner is at 2:30 p.m., with volunteers serving turkey, ham and all the fixings buffet style. The organizers work to give the dinner a homey feel. Each table has a table cloth and centre piece and is set like a dining table at home with plates and cutlery.
No alcohol is served; however, sparkling fruit juice is offered in wine glasses at the dinner table for an elegant touch.
People are encouraged to RSVP for the dinner by Dec. 19 so organizers will have a good idea of how many people are coming.
Winter in the Okanagan can be unpredictable and those who find their plans cancelled unexpectedly a few days before Christmas due to weather or road closures can call and organizers will work to accommodate them