The opportunity to bring Christmas cheer to a local senior who may not otherwise get it is once again available this year.

Home Instead Senior Care has put out its “Be a Santa to a Senior” trees at several locations in Suffolk. Folks are encouraged to stop by, pick an ornament off the tree, purchase a suggested gift and return it to the store.

“We want to meet every senior’s need in the community that we can,” said Deneen Evans, community service representative for Home Instead Senior Care. “Everybody wants to have cheer at the holidays.”

More than 200 ornaments, each representing a senior, are on the trees. Many of them are residents at Autumn Care of Suffolk, Evans said. Others are from local churches or ones they hear about through word of mouth.

Each ornament includes a specific gift request from the person as well as a list of suggested generic gifts perfect for seniors, such as large-print word search books, sugar-free candy and slippers.

This is the fifth year that Home Instead Senior Care has done the project locally.

Evans said it is easy for seniors, especially, to feel isolated at the holidays, especially if they have no family nearby. The Be a Santa to a Senior program helps ease that pain.

Evans said TowneBank donated $750 to the program this year to help purchase gifts for seniors, as well.

Trees are available at the North Main Street Walmart, 1200 N. Main St., and at Cynthia’s Hair and Nail Center, 3618 Pruden Blvd. The UPS Store, 1024 Centerbrooke Lane, has a wreath with names available.

The gifts should be purchased and returned to the store, with the ornament attached, by Dec. 11. A gift wrapping party is set for Dec. 13 at Home Instead’s office, 3614 Pruden Blvd., at 10 a.m. The public is welcome to come help.

The gifts will be delivered on Dec. 14.

Call 775-5051 for more information.