December Events

Friday, Dec. 1

2 p.m.

Scrabble with Friends. What has 100 tiles, 225 squares, a multi-colored board and millions of fans around the globe? Why, Scrabble, of course! Celebrate the crossword game's birthday and join us for Scrabble with Friends this afternoon in the Victoria Courtyard Lounge.

Saturday, Dec. 2

1 p.m.

Saturday Cinema matinee. You asked, and we answered. Beginning this month, Saturday cinema will now have two performances — a matinee and an evening show! This week, our film offering is Steel Magnolias, starring Shirley MacLaine, Olympia Dukakis and Sally Field.

Sunday, Dec. 3

7 p.m.

Documentary screening. Tonight, in the Event Center, we'll learn about the Great Southern Continent in Antarctica: A Year on Ice.

Monday, Dec. 4

10:30 a.m.

Cardmaking class. With the holidays upon us, it's the perfect time to come to the Victoria Courtyard Lounge and let our volunteer instructor, Kathy, teach you how to make beautiful, handmade cards for your family, friends and MPL neighbors.

2 p.m.

Christmas tree lighting ceremony. This afternoon, we'll light our MPL Christmas tree in the Shaw Lobby! Come celebrate and sing carols with us around the tree. Mike Pendell will play the piano and lead the singing, and we'll enjoy light refreshments to welcome the holiday season.

3:30 p.m.

Art show opening reception. Today, we'll host a reception to celebrate the work of our Inspiring Minds through Art participants in the Amstein Household. The show will include art from Annie, Betty and Jerry C., Betty V., Mickey, Marcella and Phyllis. It opens today and will remain on display through Jan. 8.

Tuesday, Dec. 5

10 a.m.

Exercise class. Every Tuesday morning, we hold an instructor-led fitness class in the Event Center. Come stay fit, trim and limber with us.

1 p.m.

Bible study. Join us in the Chapel this and every Tuesday afternoon for our weekly discussion of Scripture.

5 p.m.

Dinner outing. Tonight, we'll dine at The Celestial in Mount Adams. Please sign up in the transportation book if you plan to attend. On the way home, we'll take in the Christmas lights in downtown Cincinnati and Eden Park.

Wednesday, Dec. 6

7 p.m.

Recital. Tonight, we welcome a University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) student musician, who will perform for us in the Chapel.

Thursday, Dec. 7

MPL remembers Pearl Harbor Day.

2 p.m.

Resident Christmas party for MPL staff. Our residents' Christmas party for staff members will be held today. It includes a formal service for staff in the Chapel; if you wish to watch the service, please come to the Event Center, or on Channel 2, then gather for refreshments in the Shaw Lobby.

7 p.m.

Caroling. Students from Walnut Hills High School's foreign language clubs will sing Christmas carols for us this evening in the Chapel.

Friday, Dec. 8

3 p.m.

Writing group. The "Writing our Memoirs" group will meet this afternoon in the Conference Room. Our resident-led writing circle enjoys sharing their stories with one another. Everyone is welcome to take part, either by writing with us, or just listening to others.

6:20 p.m.

Group outing. Tonight, we'll attend “O Holy Night: A Classical Christmas,” featuring a full orchestra and a performance by operatic tenor Marco Panuccio, at downtown's Covenant First Presbyterian Church.

MPL residents may purchase discounted tickets ($21.69/each). Debbie MacLean will order tickets, but needs to do so by Monday, Dec. 4. Please call 513-533-5044 or email dmaclean@erslife.org to reserve your space.

7 p.m.

Bingo night. It’s time again for everyone’s favorite game! Feeling lucky? Join us in the Event Center for bingo, prizes and a lot of laughs.

Saturday, Dec. 9

3:30 p.m.

Concert. This afternoon, we'll host Lee Griffith and friends, who will perform on cellos for us in the Chapel.

7 p.m.

Saturday Cinema. It’s movie night! Come down to the Event Center, where we’ll view The Promise, starring Oscar Isaac, Charlotte Le Bon and Christian Bale.

Sunday, Dec. 10

3 p.m.

Seamstress visit. Need something hemmed, altered, or mended? Our volunteer seamstress, Nancy, will be in the Victoria Lobby today to help you.

3:30 p.m.

Concert. Bob Pollack and Jack Rowekamp will sing and play for us this afternoon in the Chapel.

7 p.m.

Documentary viewing. Tonight, in the Event Center, we’ll watch Race to the Moon, which explores the high-stakes competition that played out between the United States' and Soviet Union's space agencies in the 1950s and '60s.

Monday, Dec. 11

3 p.m.

Recital. Cellist Angela Bolan will perform holiday favorites on the Cello this afternoon in the Chapel.

6:30 p.m.

Group outing. Tonight, we'll load up the bus and head out to see Christmas Nights of Lights at Coney Island, where we'll marvel at larger-than-life trees, glowing snowflakes, dancing candy canes and fantastic tunnels, all constructed out of millions of lights. Our trip is sponsored by the MPL Auxiliary.

Tuesday, Dec. 12

Hanukkah begins at sundown this evening. Chag Urim Sameach!

2:30 p.m.

MPL Chorus rehearsal. Love to sing? So do we! Come join the Marjorie P. Lee Chorus. We rehearse every Tuesday afternoon in the Chapel.

7 p.m.

Concert. Tonight, we'll welcome the Cincinnati Barbershop Harmony Society's main performing unit, the Delta Kings Chorus, as they perform Christmas favorites for us in four-part harmonies. Chartered in 1944,  just six years after the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in a.m.erica (SPEBQSA), Cincinnati's is one of the oldest active chapters in the nation!

Wednesday, Dec. 13

3 p.m.

Yoga class. Need to limber up? Need a meditative space? Come join us in the Chapel, this and every Wednesday afternoon, for Yoga with Patty.

7 p.m.

Lecture. Tonight, in the Event Center, historian Diane Shields will share her slideshow lecture, “The First Crusade, 1096-1099.” Come learn about medieval times!

Thursday, Dec. 14

2 p.m.

Holiday open house. Residents, please join your staff member hosts this afternoon in the Shaw Lobby for our annual MPL holiday open house!

7 p.m.

Game night. Grab your lucky rabbit’s foot and come play bingo with us in the Event Center!

Friday, Dec. 15

2:30 p.m.

Author reception and reading. Please welcome Matthew Zory, photographer and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra musician, as he presents his new book Through the Lens: The Remaking of Cincinnati's Music Hall. This book-length photo essay invites readers to explore the metamorphosis of Cincinnati's beloved civic icon and get to know the venerable building on a more intimate level.

6:15 p.m.

Group outing. Tonight, we'll attend the Cincinnati Ballet's traditional performance of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker.

Saturday, Dec. 16

1 p.m.

Saturday Cinema. Our third Saturday Cinema event of the month will be a viewing of the Agatha Christie mystery classic, Murder on the Orient Express, this afternoon in the Event Center. And, don't forget, if you miss the matinee, you can catch the evening show.

Sunday, Dec. 17

1:15 p.m.

Group outing. This afternoon, we'll attend “Sacred Spaces: A Concert to Celebrate the Joy of Advent & Christmas,” at Holy Cross-Immaculata Church in Mount Adams. Conductor Joao Carlos Rocha, a CCM student orchestra and choir will perform Mozart's Coronation Mass and Schubert's Mass No. 2 in G Major, followed by a selection of Christmas carols. The concert is free,  but please remember to sign up in the transportation book in the Victoria Lobby if you plan to attend.

3:30 p.m.

Recital. This afternoon, in the Chapel, Pattie Hattendorf’s piano students will perform a Christmas recital for us!

7 p.m.

Documentary viewing. For our third documentary night in Dec., we’ll watch Snow Monkeys. Come learn about our special primate cousins.

Monday, Dec. 18

1:30 p.m.

Exercise class. We have Water Fitness class every Monday afternoon in MPL’s heated indoor pool. It’s a great way to keep strong and trim, and soothing for stiff joints!

2 p.m.

Knitting group. Love to knit or crochet? Come to the Victoria Courtyard Lounge this afternoon and join our "Knitting with Friends" interest group. No experience necessary! Come learn with us.

3 p.m.

Literary salon. Our resident-led Book Discussion Group will meet this afternoon in the Lee Library to talk about The Round House, by Louise Erdrich. Copies of the book are available at the Shaw Lobby Reception Desk, or by calling Debbie MacLean, 513-533-5044.

7 p.m.

Bingo. It's game night in the Event Center! Grab your marker and come on down for good times and prizes.

Tuesday, Dec. 19

Dinner outing. This evening, we'll enjoy seafood at Bonefish Grill in Hyde Park. Please remember to sign up for transportation if you plan to join us.

Wednesday, Dec. 20

Hanukkah ends at sundown. Our best wishes for a blessed year ahead.

10 a.m.

Exercise class. Come join us in the Event Center for tai chi.

Thursday, Dec. 21

Today is the winter solstice.

1:30 p.m.

Concert. Join us in the Event Center this afternoon for our MPL Chorus's special Christmas concert!

7 p.m.

Movie night. Tonight, in the Event Center, we're offering a special screening of the 1941 classic, Moon Over Miami, starring Betty Grable, Don Ameche and Robert Cummings.

Friday, Dec. 22

10 a.m.

Exercise class. We hold water fitness class every Friday at this time in the indoor swimming pool.

7 p.m.

Theatrical revue. Please welcome members of the East Side Players community theater group as they perform “My Favorite Time of the Year,” a 45-minute, comical song-and-dance extravaganza capturing the warmth of the holidays.

Saturday, Dec. 23

7 p.m.

Saturday Cinema. If you didn't catch the matinee today, tonight's film will be Stormy Weather, starring Lena Horne and Cab Calloway.

Sunday, Dec. 24

Christmas Eve

9:30 - 10:30 a.m.

Transportation to off-campus worship services. MPL residents wishing to attend Sunday services can catch the shuttle to Christ Church at 9:30, or Knox Church at 10:30, from the Victoria Lobby.

10:30 a.m.

Holy Communion. Our weekly service is held every Sunday morning in the Chapel.

7 p.m.

Documentary viewing. Tonight, we'll watch a film about the life of Cincinnati's "First Lady of Television," 50/50 Club host and philanthropic Christmas luminary Ruth Lyons.

Monday, Dec. 25

Merry Christmas, MPL residents, families and staff members!

* Please note: Transportation will be unavailable today, as our team members spend the holiday with their families.

Friday, Dec. 29

1 p.m.

Group outing. This afternoon, we'll visit the Cincinnati Art Museum for self-guided tours. A few of the current exhibitions you could visit: Iris Van Herpen: Transforming Fashion, Willia.m. Kentridge: More Sweetly Play the Dance and Albrecht Dürer: The Age of Reformation and Renaissance. Please sign up for transportation, if you wish to attend.

Saturday, Dec. 30

1 p.m.

Group outing. This afternoon, we'll attend the Boars Head & Yule Log Festival at Christ Church Cathedral downtown. We have 10 free tickets available on a first-come, first-served basis. Please get your ticket from the Victoria Lobby Desk when you sign up in the transportation book.

7 p.m.

Saturday Cinema. Dust off your dancing shoes! Our last film this month will be The Gay Divorcee, starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

Sunday, Dec. 31

New Year's Eve

7 p.m.

New Year's Eve party. From 7-9 p.m. this evening, we'll host a party to ring in the New Year, featuring music by pianist Bob Pollack and drummer Jack Rowekamp.

This year, we'll try a new sort of game while the band takes a break: a white elephant gift exchange! We ask you to bring a small, wrapped gift (valued at $10 or less) to exchange.

More great events and activities are coming in January, so stay tuned!

Happy New Year, MPL residents, families and seniors in the community! Keep watching this blog to stay abreast of all the happenings here in our wonderful Cincinnati retirement home.