 Pilgrim Day is a fun day to create. The only problem you may come across is finding a bonnet. I think the first one I had I got from a children’s' clothing store. It was tight, but it worked. Ask around. You never knew who has taken a trip to the Amish Country and bought one as a souvenir. Always use your friends as resources. You would be surprised what people have in their basement and are more than happy to lend or even donate if you ask. Besides the bonnet, Pilgrim Day is easy to create and a costume that causes a lot of reactions. I even get grumpy people laughing!
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For the rest of the costume, I have a long black skirt and a long sleeved black shirt. I take a regular piece of white paper and cut two long wide strips and tape them around my wrist to form the cuff. Through the years , my "bib" and apron have changed but in this picture, my bib is really the apron from a French Maid Halloween costume and the apron is simply the plastic ones my facility stocks in the kitchen. You can use any white apron or even a pinned handkerchief for the bottom. You can see in the picture, the second life I gave to some "doilies" I found at a garage sale. I love to get the residents in costumes. It definitely add to the imagination and youthfulness of the day. It is not necessary, but a really nice detail. I wear basic black pumps and make a square out of white paper, cut out a square and tape it onto my shoes. It's totally free and the residents love it. The trimming on the man’s hat in our "family portrait" is also made from plain construction paper, colored in with brown marker, but keeping it white is fine. Add a few Thanksgiving props such as gourds and autumn leaves and you and your residents will become a group of Pilgrims! Make sure you take a family portrait! It takes a few minutes to get everyone where they belong and pose them with the props and you will definitely need some patience but it is possible. The residents feel so special and validated when I make such a fuss over them for the pictures.
Now that you have got your costume on, there are quite a number of things you can do with the residents to celebrate Pilgrim day. The highlight of the day is demonstrating making Pumpkin Pie, the "Incredible Edible”. There are many pie recipes. While I mix my recipe, I double it and I ask residents to help figure out how much of the ingredients I need. While the pies are being baked, I take this opportunity to talk about Gratitude. I encourage them to have an attitude of gratitude and appreciate all they have rather than complaining about what they don't have. Statistic are if you have 3 meals a day, a bed and a roof, you are richer than 3/4 of the world. Thank God for all you have. Appreciate the little things. I tell them of when my cousin, who is an officer at the US Embassy in Vienna, took an old Polish Lady for a ride through Poland. She marveled at an ordinary house that had flowers. He said she was overwhelmed at how rich a person must be if they have the luxury of growing flowers rather than necessary fruits and vegetables. Have your residents talk about what they are grateful for. You can even have them fill out a thankfulness record, naming one thing a day and keeping record of it.
 Throughout the course of the day, I also teach them about the first Thanksgiving. While they eat, we do a Pilgrim Word Search, finding small words out of the big words. I also have a special bingo where I give out dollar store Pilgrim figurines or something similar, or I hand out a large print search a word. It is a wonderful, easy, informative, educational, fun, proven successful program for Thanksgiving. It is with deep gratitude that I get to be a Pilgrim and make so many people smile because of it. You can do the same thing. Feel free to e-mail me with questions. If it is too much for you and you would like to have a day like this at your facility and are in my area, please contact me and I can make it happen. Either way, be grateful or be thankful that you have a career where you make other people have better days. I consider myself blessed that I have these people, my people, in my life.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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GINGER'S CREATIVE COSTUMES AND ACTIVITIES