Time Flies: A Melodious Christmas Reunion at the Senior Home - 12/07/2025 Performance and Game Hosting

Authored by Rien Chen

Time really flies! In the blink of an eye, Christmas is here again, and I still remember our performance at the senior home last year.

Today’s program opened with Cielle singing the beautiful Christmas song “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas.”Her voice, as always, was warm, expressive, and full of emotion, instantly bringing everyone into the holiday spirit. She was greeted with enthusiastic applause from the audience.

When she performed her second song, “O Holy Night,” many seniors began humming along softly.

Her singing was so moving that the staff members at the senior home, upon hearing her voice, warmly invited her to return on December 23rd to sing during their dinner service in the dining hall. They hoped her music could bring warmth and surprise to seniors who are unable to reunite with their families during the holidays. Cielle kindly and happily accepted the invitation.

The second performer was Hope. She had carefully prepared two pieces and had also planned to play “Happy Birthday” for the seniors celebrating their birthdays this month. However, when she arrived, she suddenly felt unwell and had a stomach ache. We all asked whether she would prefer to go home and rest or move her performance earlier, but she chose to stay.

When it was her turn to perform, she played with great focus and delivered a beautiful and polished performance, earning warm applause from everyone.

What touched us the most was that she stayed until the very end of the event and played “Happy Birthday” for the seniors before leaving.

Beyond her excellent technique, it was her perseverance, kindness, and professionalism at such a young age that truly moved us. Even we “grown-up kids” felt deeply touched and inspired by her dedication. We truly believe her musical journey will continue to grow wider and brighter.

After Hope, Elena performed a Mozart piece. Her playing was expressive, elegant, and full of musical atmosphere—perfect for a Christmas performance. The seniors greatly enjoyed it and offered her heartfelt praise.

Next, I performed “Summer of Farewells,” a lyrical piece that our whole family loves. It is an insert song from a Studio Ghibli animation. Elena had previously played one piano version of this piece, and today I performed a different arrangement. I hoped this gentle and beautiful music could bring the seniors a moment of calm and pure musical enjoyment on a peaceful weekend afternoon.

Following that, Chloe prepared a Christmas piano piece for the seniors. To highlight the holiday theme, she joined Grace and Cielle in singing the Christmas song “Santa Tell Me” together. Their energy, smiles, and joyful voices brought warmth and vitality to everyone in the room.

At the closing of the program, our host for the day, Grace, thanked the seniors for their support throughout the year and wished everyone a wonderful holiday season.

As always, the performance was followed by game time.

Grace, Elena, and I stayed to play Bingo with the seniors. There were a few new participants today, and everyone played with great enthusiasm and focus.

Before we knew it, it was time to say goodbye once again. The next time we return, it will already be 2026. We wish all the seniors good health and peace, and we look forward to seeing everyone again in the new year!

Performers: Cielle Chan, Elena Chen, Rien Chen, Chloe Li, Grace Ma, Hope Wang

Game Hosts:  Elena Chen, Rien Chen, Grace Ma