The holiday season is a magically wonderful time of year when people come together to celebrate and rejoice with family and friends. However, for many, it can instead induce loneliness, stress, and even depression. That is just what a 2014 study by the National Alliance for Mental Illness found in 755 respondents about "the holiday blues". These can especially be exacerbated in hospitals or medical offices where patients and staff also have the added pressure of sickness or caring for the sick. However, one strategy that a hospital or medical facility can implement to impart joy into those sick or serving the sick is decorating for the holidays. Decorating these medical facilities for Christmas can have a significant impact on patients, staff, and visitors. As you will learn, it can lift spirits, create a warm and welcoming environment, and provide a much-needed distraction from the stresses and strains of illness.
Here are a few ways hospitals and medical offices can benefit from getting in on some festive fun by leveraging professional holiday displays.
Holiday Decor Boosts Morale
Being in a hospital can be tough, especially during the holidays when patients are away from their families and loved ones. Decorating the hospital can help to lift their spirits and make them feel more festive. Research has shown that a patient's emotional state can have a significant impact on their health, with happier patients statistically experiencing better outcomes.
Holiday decor can also help staff feel more engaged and connected, which can improve morale and lead to better patient care. A few twinkling lights, some tinsel, and a touch of red and green can go a long way in making your patients and staff feel a little more cheerful.
Holiday Decor Creates a Welcoming Environment
Hospitals and doctor’s offices can often intimidate patients, but by adding Christmas decor to your lobby, waiting rooms, and other high traffic areas, can create a more welcoming environment that feels less clinical and more like a home. It can help to make patients feel more comfortable and at ease, which can improve their overall experience and their health. Waiting rooms can also be quite sterile, so why not welcome patients with some festive decor in addition to some six-month-old magazines? Plus, it's always fun to see the looks on people's faces when they walk into a room filled with holiday cheer!
Holiday Decor Fosters a Sense of Community
The holiday season is all about coming together and celebrating with loved ones. Christmas decor for hospitals can help foster a sense of community among patients, staff, and visitors. It can provide a common ground for people to connect and share in the holiday spirit. Medical facilities can even organize Christmas parties or festive events, bringing everyone together for an additional dose of fun and laughter.
Holiday Decor Provides a Distraction
If there's one thing everyone in a hospital wants, it's to not be in a hospital. Hospitals can be boring and monotonous, especially for long-term patients. Christmas decorations can provide a fun distraction, helping patients take their minds off their illness and focus on something positive. It can also help children who are in the hospital feel more at ease and forget about their worries for a little while. Holiday decor also works as a distraction for visitors, especially those stuck in the waiting room, anxiously awaiting the outcome of a loved one's procedure.
Holiday Decor Celebrates Diversity
While Christmas is celebrated in the United States as a Christian holiday, a 2017 Pew Research Center report cites that 45% of Christmas celebrants do so as a "cultural event", not a religious one. Instead of focusing on just traditional red, green, and gold colors associated with the holiday, decorating hospitals for Christmas or the holiday season in general can help celebrate diversity and inclusion by recognizing the many different cultures and traditions that come together during the holiday season. Hospitals can decorate with a variety of themes, such as Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or winter wonderland, to cater to the diverse needs of their patients, staff, and visitors. It's an opportunity to bring people together and celebrate what makes human civilization unique.
Find The Right Holiday Decor For Your Practice
With all these benefits, there's plenty of reasons why healthcare professionals would choose professional Christmas displays for their hospital or medical office for the holidays. Whether you opt for a traditional Christmas look or a more secular winter theme, there are plenty of options available. A Christmas Tree and some wreaths and garland in the waiting room or reception area is a great start. For those looking for something a little bigger, a giant commercial frame tree in front of the building can aide in welcoming patients before they even walk in the door.
Whichever decor you choose, decorating for Christmas is a wonderful way to bring some joy and happiness to patients, staff, and visitors during the holiday season. It boosts morale, creates a welcoming environment, fosters a sense of community, provides a distraction, and celebrates diversity. So, let's deck the hospital halls, string up the lights, and get in the festive spirit. Remember, the smallest gestures can make the biggest difference to those who need it most.
Ready to bring the joy of professional Christmas decorating to your hospital or medical facility this season?
Transform your hospital into a winter wonderland with Rent-A-Christmas.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is professional Christmas decorating and how do I choose a partner?
You may be surprised to learn that there is an entire industry of professional Christmas decorators across the globe. However, not all holiday decorators are equal. When considering a professional holiday display partner, you want to make sure the company has access to a wide range of products to help you achieve your desired look while integrating seamlessly into your existing decor. After all, you likely didn't design your hospital or medical facility with holiday decor in mind.
As the modern professional Christmas decorators, Rent-A-Christmas has experienced Christmas Display Designers on staff who will help you navigate the thousands of commercial products that are available in market. What's more, Rent-A-Christmas Display Designers and Account Executives know exactly what it takes to create the perfect holiday display for your medical facility. To cap it all off, we employ modern technology and tools to help our project managers, site engineers, and installers execute your display to perfection. After the season ends, we take it all down and store it in our professionally-maintained storage facilities to make sure your display looks great year-over-year.
How much should I spend on a holiday display?
This is somewhat of a tricky question as it depends greatly on the amount of space you have to decorate and the number of locations you'll need to decorate. For a moderate professional holiday display in a hospital setting, you can expect to spend at least $15,000 - $20,000 per location, inclusive of decor and professional installation. Some hospitals opt to spend even more, with some displays costing north of $50,000, especially hospitals with multiple locations. Doctor's offices and smaller medical facilities can expect a lower price tag, in the neighborhood of $5,000 - $10,000, all in. While these numbers may give you palpitations, you might want to consider the positive impact this investment will have on your facility and brand, and the positive impact it will have on your patients, employees, and visitors.
When should I start planning my Christmas display?
As most hospitals typically require large-scale displays, the best advice we can offer is to start planning your holiday display as early in the year as possible. Many Rent-A-Christmas clients begin planning their displays in Q1 and Q2 as it can take 3-6 months to plan the perfect display, but if you are late to the game, we can always create a smaller display for year 1 and expand on it for later years. We know you don't operate your facility with Christmas in mind, but have no fear - we do!
How do I get started with my professional holiday display?
This is an easy one! Just get in touch with Rent-A-Christmas and we can begin brainstorming ideas to help you begin taking advantage of the positive holiday impact.