This year, the Adult Activity Center is trying a different kind of Christmas for their homebound seniors.

Homebound seniors are seniors 60 and older who are too weak to leave their homes – for reasons that vary from from dialysis to a broken bone – to participate in activities at the center.

In the past, Adult Activity Center employees would organize drives and provide gifts for each senior, and each senior received the same gifts.

But Adult Activity Director Sonja Godwin noticed that not all homebound seniors need the exact same thing.

“Not everyone is the same size, not everyone has the same needs,” she said. “I wanted to get more personal with our gift giving system.”

Godwin put together a survey and sent it to all the homebound seniors. Some responded with, “No, I don’t need anything,” and others responded by saying they needed lots of things.

“Some are on strict income, and going through an incredible amount of hardship.” Godwin said.

Godwin put a list of all of those seniors who needed things, and from there, the created an angel tree of sorts, using praying hands as a motif.

There are 21 “praying hands” on a Christmas tree, and people can come to the center, select a certain set of hands, and honor the requests from a specific gift list complied by the senior. The minimum limit spent on gifts is $40, but if the amount was over, all of it will go to that senior in need.

The deadline to turn in a gift for a homebound senior is Dec. 5.

“They are honestly so grateful, they act like you’ve given them a million dollars,” Godwin said, remembering when she delivered presents last year for the center.

The Adult Activity Center also provides daily meals for the homebound seniors as well.

If there are any questions please contact the Andalusia Adult Activity Center at 334-222-6891. To participate in the praying hands, please visit the ACC, located behind the Church Street Cultural Arts Center.