The Spanish students at South Point High School had just finished singing about Rudolph with his “rojo-olfateado” and wishing a Felices Navidad to the residents at Bryant Health Center.

As the teens were filing out of the common room to visit those who had stayed in their rooms, Robby Brown reached over and embraced Carla Coyer, a resident there.

It was an embrace that showed the spirit of Christmas.

That’s what Lourdes Ladd, South Point’s Spanish teacher, wants to see at the annual holiday visits her students make to area nursing homes.

“They come back and say ‘Now I know what Christmas is,’ “ Ladd said.

“Christmas is giving.”

This was the second year for Brown to entertain at nursing homes with his classmates.

The annual event was started by Ladd after illness in her family showed her the need older adults can have for attention, especially at the holidays. Her students seem to understand what she is striving to do.

“It think this is a great opportunity to give back to the community and get to visit a great generation,” Brown said.

After the impromptu concert the students passed out Christmas cards to those in attendance, often reading the message to them.

“It makes us happy to see them happy too,” Kayla Fletcher said.

It was the first-time for Mitch Mullins to be part of the musical program the teens brought to River’s Bend Nursing Home and the Ashland Town Center mall.

“I never had a chance to do something like this before,” he said. “It’s important to remember them. I think they enjoyed it.”

Bob Morris, Bryant’s administrator, sees the goodwill visit as one that can improve the daily routine of the residents.

“It gets a lot of people who are normally in their rooms out there when the kids come,” Morris said. “It motivates them to come down to the lounge.”