Resident of the Month

Carolyn grew up in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia near the small city of Waynesboro, where she attended elementary school and graduated from High School. Ms. Christmas attended Madison College (now, James Madison University) and transferred to Richmond Professional Institute (now, Virginia Commonwealth University) in Richmond, where she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in Interior Design.

Carolyn met her husband, Edward (Ed) Christmas in 1987 and they married and lived in Waynesboro where Ed worked for the DuPont Company. In 1991 Ed was transferred to Singapore, and their son, Michael, and Carolyn were delighted to go with him. Michael attended Singapore American School his last two years of High School.

In 1995, the family returned to the US to live in North Carolina and in 2003 they built a home in Graham, NC. In 2004 Carolyn and Ed started working with Middle School English Teachers in China through a Christian Organization, Amity Foundation. They traveled back & forth for 8 summers and it was a great experience!

In 2011, SiHong Middle School asked Ed to teach in grades 6 and 7, to help with English Pronunciation and the advantage of learning English. The school let Carolyn shop for furniture for an apartment and they moved directly after, spending two months in the Spring and two months in the fall. Carolyn and her family did this for 5 years, completing their time there in 2016. It was a great experience for the whole family, and they made many lifelong friends from their journeys and adventures.

Sadly, after 30 wonderful years of marriage, Ed passed away in 2018. Carolyn moved to Palm Beach Gardens to find solace and enjoy their beach home in sunny Florida, where their memories could wash over her like the rays of sunshine.

In 2014, Carolyn’s son Michael married my wonderful daughter-in-law Claire, and they had 3 lovely children: Natalya, James and Caeden. In 2017 they moved to Summerville, SC and Carolyn became a ‘Great Granny’ of two rambunctious 3-year-old boys! While Natalya still lives in Colorado, Caeden and James live in Summerville, so Carolyn gets to spend and enjoy time with her boys and her great grandsons frequently.

Being close to family is very important to Carolyn and is the reason for her move to Summerville and to Wildcat Senior Living, where she has been making fast friends and has been a wonderful new addition to our Wildcat family! Thank you, Ms. Carolyn, for all that you have done and have continued to do since your arrival! We are honored to have you as a part of our Wildcat family!