Santa Claus posed for photos with Summerset Senior Living residents at the Winter Wonderland event on Dec. 9. Photo courtesy of Summerset Senior Living

RANCHO CORDOVA, CA (MPG) - Summerset Senior Living, 2341 Vehicle Drive, welcomed families, residents and neighbors into a full-scale “Winter Wonderland” on Dec. 9 as part of its Holiday Open House, transforming the community into a festive showcase of light, music and Christmas spirit.

The event, held from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., invited visitors to walk through a series of themed “train stations,” beginning with a greeting from a conductor who handed out tickets before guiding guests to the Polar Express. There, attendees enjoyed hot cocoa, candy and light bites before continuing upstairs to the Nutcracker Suite, where a live piano performance and holiday treats set the tone for the season.

Andrea Callejo, sales and marketing coordinator at Summerset Senior Living served as the conductor for the night handing out train tickets to Polar Express. Photo courtesy of Summerset Senior Living

Hallways throughout the community were lined with glowing lights, sparkling displays and department-created décor, leading guests to the final stop: the North Pole. Mr. and Mrs. Claus posed for photos, and families could write letters to Santa while sipping cocoa and sampling cookies.

Mr. and Mrs. Claus came all the way from the North Pole to greet residents and guests at Summersets Holiday Open House on Dec. 9. Photo courtesy of Summerset Senior Living

Summerset Senior Living provides independent living, assisted living and memory care with a focus on “comfort, community and connection,” according to the organization. Staff said the immersive holiday experience was designed to bring joy not only to residents, but also to their families.

Jennifer Davis, community relations director at Summerset Senior Living, said this year’s decorations came with a friendly rivalry.

“We have a little competition between our communities, so we decided to go all out, and we love the holidays,” Davis said. “We always decorate for this time of year, but we decided to take it farther this year and it was very well received. A lot of people told us this is the most amazing it has ever been.”

Davis added that the effort served a deeper purpose.

“The families are just loving it,” Davis said. “I had a family that was a little hesitant about moving in, and they were just so thankful because it’s so welcoming and so warm. It just shows them that we care and we love to celebrate with them.”

Santa Claus himself said he made it a priority to visit Summerset.

“I’m coming down from the North Pole to visit all these senior citizens and the kids with their families, making sure they are enjoying life,” Santa said. “The reception from the community has been absolutely fantastic. The seniors really love it because it brings them back to their roots. Events such as this one bring everybody together, make people happy and put smiles on their faces. That is what it is all about, kindness and love.”

For some longtime residents, the celebration carried personal meaning.

 Residents and guests embrace the holiday season during this year’s Summersets Holiday Open House on Dec. 9. Photo courtesy of Summerset Senior Living

Natasha McKenzie, who has lived at Summerset for eight years, reflected on how her experience of Christmas has evolved throughout her life, from childhood anticipation to raising children of her own.

“My favorite thing about today is I look at it sort of as a reunion, because we get to see everyone,” McKenzie said. “It sort of becomes your substitute family.”

Another resident, Jim Zirkelbach, said the effort put into the event was clear.

“Today was fabulous, all the decorations they did and they have been working on it for so long,” Zirkelbach said. “It’s really special. If you have to be in a place away from your family, it’s good to be in a place like this.”

Family members visiting residents said the event highlighted the community’s atmosphere. One guest, whose sister Wendy lives at Summerset, said the celebration brought comfort.

“My sister Wendy lives here and we don’t live in Sacramento, so we only get to see her every couple weeks,” Tammy Richards said. “She kind of has a built-in family around her when her family is not here. The community here really supports her.”

Wendy said her favorite part of the day was the live holiday music.

Carlie Beasley, regional director of sales and marketing, said staff spent about a month preparing the elaborate holiday displays.

“We wanted to showcase the community and really go all out for Christmas,” Beasley said. “We just wanted the residents to be happy and be ‘whoaed’ by the Christmas magic. Christmas is so nostalgic for a lot of people, and often they can’t go out to check out other décor so we thought, why not bring it to them?”

As the last cups of cocoa were poured and the final photos with Santa were snapped, residents and visitors carried with them the glow of the season.