Glenda Lopez has lived at La Hacienda Nursing Home in Harlingen for the past seven years and doesn’t have immediate family, so it's mostly cousins and other relatives that visit her.
She said it's tough not being able to spend the holidays with her family.
That’s why Lopez said it was a pleasant surprise Saturday, when a group of young carolers and Valley Baptist Medical Center staff visited the residents to deliver gifts.
"Oh (it’s) lovely, we appreciate it a lot,” Lopez said.
“I know they do this for us every year and we enjoy it a lot."
VBMC Chief Executive Officer Adams said this is the seventh year the hospital staff participates in the program they call Senior Santa.
The goal each year is to deliver a gift to every resident in a nursing home throughout Cameron County. This year VBMC delivered 1,300 gifts.
"Look at their faces when you hand them these gifts,” Adams said.
“Some of these residents, they don’t get regular visitors and here's a special time of year for all of us and our families, so it's just a great way to give back to this community."
Five year resident, Mable Bunch said the carolers and gifts brightened her day and put her in the holiday spirit.
"It's wonderful isn't it?” Bunch said.
“That's why we say that Christmas is the best most, wonderful time of year.
It's such a refreshment to have people like them, bring people over here with them boxes of gifts for us."
Adams said Senior Santa puts smiles on the nursing home residents and also teaches the children a lesson to last a lifetime.
"I think it teaches them the importance of giving - giving to those who are less fortunate than we are," Adams said.
“It's a joy to do it and see their faces when you give them these gifts that are unexpected."
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