millions of people travelling to their
families during this me. Chinese
people make resoluons by
praccing rituals and tradions to
ensure good luck in the New Year.
They can give red envelopes with
money and hold reunion dinners
with family. They also oer
sacrices to ancestors and do a
thorough house cleaning to usher in
a prosperous new year.
SPAIN
The Spanish also kickstart their new
year by eang 12 grapes exactly at
the stroke of midnight. If you can
eat all 12 grapes before the bell
nishes chiming 12 mes (so one
grape every two seconds) you’ll
have a very lucky and prosperous
new year. The catch? You have to
nish all the grapes by the me the
clock nishes striking midnight, or
you’ll have bad luck!
COLOMBIA
In Colombia, people don’t make
resoluons but do make wishes. As
the clock strikes midnight on
January 1, it’s tradion to eat one
grape for each chime of the bell
starng at 12 am. For each grape,
you make a wish – so 12 grapes and
12 wishes in total. These wishes
aren’t like resoluons in the US.
Instead of resolving to eat healthier,
you would wish for good health.
Some people write down their
wishes on a piece of paper at New
Year’s and carry it with them
throughout the year. On December
31 they burn their wish paper and
make a new one.
In the USA about 80% of US cizens
resolve to turn their lives around or
improve themselves. However,
data shows that around 80% of New
Year's resoluons are likely to be
dropped within a month.
Other countries around the world
celebrate New Year’s as well:
BRAZIL
On New Year’s Eve in Brazil, it’s tradion
to go to the beach to make your
resoluons. Aer midnight, you should
go in the ocean and jump seven waves
while making seven wishes. You should
wear all white clothing in the water, as it
represents purity. The tradion pays
tribute to Yemanja, the goddess of
water.
Read more: Culture shock: It’s actually a
really good thing.
ITALY
In Italy, New Year’s resoluons are
called buoni proposi, or “good
intenons.” These resoluons are oen
similar to those made in the US, such as
exercising more or quing smoking.
Some Italians also have luck-bringing
tradions. You can eat fay pork to
faen wallets, or eat black-eyed peas for
good fortune. It’s said that some Italians
also wear red underwear at New Year to
bring good luck in the year ahead.
CHINA
The Chinese New Year is a massive two-
week fesval starng on the rst full
moon of the Lunar calendar. It usually
kicks o between January 21 and
February 20. The celebraons lead to
the spectacular Lantern Fesval, with
Happy New Year!
2024
The very rst New Year’s resoluons
happened more than 4,000 years ago.
The rst recorded people to celebrate
a new year were the ancient
Babylonians. Their new year
celebraon was a 12-day fesval
called Akitu, which began at the start
of the spring planng season in March.
During the celebraons, Babylonians
would make resoluons to their gods.
But they probably didn’t make any
promises to exercise more, save more
money, or start a new hobby. The
Babylonians usually pledged their
loyalty to the king and made promises
to pay their debts and returned
borrowed items to their righul
owners. They believed that if they
kept their resoluons, the gods would
treat them favorably that year. But if
they broke their promises, they would
get on the bad side of the gods.
The modern day Gregorian New Year
began in ancient Rome in 46 B.C. when
Emperor Julius Caesar introduced a
new calendar and declared January 1
as the start of the new year.
New year, new me!
A Publicaon of Westminster Village North December 29, 2023
In Memoriam
Lee Buckley
Susan Bryant
Florence Roberts
Charles Williams
Please keep their families and friends in
your thoughts and prayers.
___________________________
Westminster Village
Foundaon Support
The Westminster Village Foundaon
contributed tens of thousands of dollars
this year to support the needs around
campus. Most recently, they purchased
tables and chairs for the Cappuccino
Lounge. Though the tables, which convert
from round to square, have been in for a
few weeks, the chairs arrived this week.
Residents who have seen and tested the
chairs are very pleased! “It makes the
room look more inving and cozy.”
A huge thank you to the Foundaon for
their generous donaons and overall
support to the Village. It is truly
appreciated by sta and residents alike!
_________________________
Board Game?
Board games challenge our execuve
funconing, according to occupaonal
therapy experts. These skills include
working memory, mental exibility,
emoonal regulaon, organizaon and
more.
Working memory is a type of short-term
memory that is used to solve immediate
problems that present themselves
throughout our day. People frequently
use their working memory while
playing board games by quickly
determining the next move based on a
quick assessment of the available opons
needed to outwit opponents.
Join in the next board game oered by
your acvity sta or group of friends!
Sta Phone Directory
AL/HC Acvies
Jill Armantrout, AL Acvies Mgr. - 5300
Gabby Tijani, AL Acvies Coord. - 3530
Jamie Minder, HC Acvies Mgr. - 4230
Beauty Shops
Tamarack - 1230
Sycamore - 2777
Health Center - 3080
Business Oce
Chuck Gaskins, Dir. Financial Operaons
- 2190
Lang O’Mera, Accounts Payable
Specialist - 2910
Melissa Wya, Resident Accounts Mgr. -
2920
Dawn Marne, Resident Account Asst. -
3450
Campus Environment/Maintenance
Wilson Ojwang, Dir. Campus
Environment - 2260
Sharon Taylor, Secretary/Work Orders -
2200
Chaplain
April Sco, Chaplain - 1410
Dining Rooms
Tamarack, IL - 1034
Sycamore, AL - 2760
Ironwood, AL - 4910
Aspen, HC - 3245
Cedar Commons, HC - 3248
Juniper/Heatherwood, HC - 3451/3542
Willow Commons, HC - 3246
Execuve Leadership
Shelley Rauch, Execuve Director - 3500
Leslie Snyder Execuve Asst. - 3510
Food Services
Dan Armantrout, Dir. Food Services -
3750
Thomas Balser, IL Chef - 3751
Estelana Fairley, AL Dietary Supervisor -
3440
Anita Suon, HC Food Services - 2340
Health Center
Shannon Harris, Dir. HC Operaons - 3570
Tracy Pope, HC Admissions - 2840
Jackie Davidson, Director of Nursing - 2830
Ebony Sims, Assistant Director of Nursing -
4490
Nurses Staons
Aspen -3240, 3241
Cedar Commons - 3295, 3297
Heatherwood - 2330, 2850
Ironwood -2170
Juniper - 2770, 2790
Sycamore - 2820, 2825
Willow Commons - 5320, 5410
Housekeeping
Housekeeping Mgr. - 1060
Housekeeping Requests - 2300
IL/AL Nursing
Jami Blanton, Nurse Mgr. - 2660
Tammy Rogers, Asst. Nurse Mgr. - 2665
Sycamore Nurses Staon - 2820, 2825
Ironwood Nurses Staon - 2170
Markeng
Amy Morgan, Dir. Markeng - 2140
Tracy Pope, HC Admissions - 2840
Laurie Wilson, Leisure Services Coord. - 1053
Kevin Prui, Transion Coord. - 5380
Receponist — 0
Social Services
Jill Armantrout, Social Services Manager -
5300
Gabby Pollock, Social Services Assistant -
2860
Peggy Long, Memory Care Coordinator- 3296
Therapy & Wellness
Stephanie Irvine, Therapy Manager -
4222Wellness Center, Tamarack - 1051
Transportaon
Willa Lawson, FT Driver - 2160
Les McConnell, PT Driver –2161
Gary Roraus, PT driver –2161
WVN Foundaon
Foundaon Coord. - 3460