Table six in the fourth floor dining room at the long-term care facility is a favourite with the staff.  Ninety-eight-year-old Dorothy leads the pack with her no-nonsense attitude.  Beside her sits Verna, just eight years her junior, who always has a smile and a kind word for everyone.  Carole is the junior member of the group: still in her sixties, she has been a resident of the home for a decade or more.  The fourth woman at the table is a newcomer, who likes to complain about how she didn’t choose to be here.  Rehabilitating her is a project for the table mates.

It’s December, and the days are getting shorter.

“It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas,” Verna sings, referencing the snow outside.

“Glad we’re cozy in here,” Dorothy adds.

“Wonder when the people across the street are going to put up their Christmas lights,” Carole says, indicating…