Presents come in all sorts of shapes, sizes and packages.

At Garden Spot Village, the gifts of activity and interaction are wrapped up in an event. They are gifts that just keep on giving.

"We are here working on creative care," said Barb Martin, who's been the associate director of mission advancement at Garden Spot Village for four years. "We can be creative in giving seniors opportunities to do the things they love to do, regardless of their abilities. We want our residents to be in community and participating."

"(Interaction is) life giving, pure and simple," continued Martin. "One of our greatest goals as a community is to give residents an opportunity to lead a full life. That's the why. You can create a family. That comes down to purpose."

Chocked full of activities, the local retirement community's Village Christmas Market is both community oriented and creative. This year's edition of faith-based Garden Spot Village's annual holiday event will be presented from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 6, inside and around the village at 433 S. Kinzer Ave., New Holland.

The lively event is free to attend, and the community is warmly invited.

"It's just such a great positive experience," said Martin. "I just love walking through the crowd. It's a nice positive time together. It's multi-generational and it's known as an event, so people want to come and check it out. It's a very positive uplifting time together."

The highlight of Village Christmas Market is the creations from 34 talented vendors, a mixture of residents and locals, peddling quilts and other sewn items; ornaments and Christmas decor; watercolor artwork; stained glass; the works of local authors; the works of local photographers; toys; and wood crafts. Garden Spot Village's three on-campus shops will be open to the public, as well as its restaurants, including a pop-up cafe that will offer delicacies like chicken corn rivel soup, pies, hot dogs and apple cider doughnuts.

The event will also include a residents' Christmas bake sale and a gift basket silent auction.

"I see this feeling of joy on faces and hear it in voices," said Martin. "We honor our families and loved ones with gifts. It's a celebration of gifts and Christmas. We have worked really hard to create a time of joy."

Village Christmas Market will also feature activities for kids like crafts, photo opportunities and story book readings - including one by Mrs. Santa - and Garden Spot Village's model train room will open at 1:30 p.m. Music will be provided by strolling minstrels, bell choirs, carolers and musicians.

"It has probably become as much of an event as a fundraiser," said Martin, a resident of Brickerville. "It boils down to our key goal, which is helping people find community, whether that's in the village or in the community at large."

As many as 1,000 Garden Spot Village residents, family members, friends and local community members are expected to attend. Organizers of Village Christmas Market are hoping to raise $10,000 for Garden Spot Village's benevolent fund.

After Garden Spot Village hosted a fall fest for a number of years, the Village Christmas Market was established in 2022.

"The benevolent fund steps in when a resident reaches a point where they can no longer meet the cost of care," said Martin. "It addresses that group. There's a promise of care for the rest of your life. Many of our internal clubs donate a significant amount of their profits to the benevolent fund. For some, that's the goal of the club."

A subsidiary of Garden Spot Communities, Garden Spot Village offers its 1,500, 55 and older residents independent living, assisted living and skilled care options. The village employs nearly 600 workers.

Inspired by the life of Jesus, Garden Spot Village was established in the early 1990s. The retirement community operates under the motto of "Be Kind. Do Good. Show Love."

Many of Garden Spot Village's happenings involve bringing community groups like choirs, bands and performing troupes on campus.

"There are things we do that draw in tremendous community participation," said Martin.

For additional information, go to http://www.gardenspotvillage.org.