First-ever cookie exchange for N.B. seniors group aims to bring Christmas cheer, new connections

BAIE VERTE, N.B. -

It’s one of the best parts about the holidays, Christmas baking, made even sweeter when shared with friends.

“The idea is they bring a dozen or two dozen cookies and then they get to go home with, however many they brought they can go home with of other people’s cookies,” said Melissa Trenholm, a seniors’ navigator.

Nursing Homes Without Walls – Port Elgin did its first ever Christmas cookie exchange on Wednesday morning as a seasonal addition to its weekly seniors coffee group.

Seniors’ navigator Terissa Salmon says she originally came up with the idea in hopes of increasing the weekly attendance.

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“Seniors tend to get really isolated in our area in the winter, so we wanted to show them that there is a fun and safe space to go to help break up those winter blues each week,” she said in an email.

“Currently, on average we see 15 to 20 seniors that come out regularly for the coffee group, but we have plenty of room to accommodate up to 45 each week.”

Trenholm says this is the time of year when people are doing their Christmas baking and adding on an extra event and an extra dozen seemed like a great idea.

“I have not rolled and cut out cookies for years. I don’t even remember the last time I did it and I had so much fun last night doing this. It was great,” laughed Baie Verte Seniors Club president Sharon Cole.

Cole made lemon flavoured sugar cookies to add to the variety on Wednesday morning.

“I wasn’t sure how it was going to work because I said to them, ‘How do I know how many cups of coffee to make for this Wednesday morning?’ So, we just took a guess. I don’t know whether we’re going to dump any or not, but we did alright. We had 28 here today, which is really good, and we just had a really good time. Everybody seems to be really enjoying it,” she said.

For some, the cookie exchange was their first experience with the weekly coffee group and with 28 in attendance, it meant 28 different varieties of sweets including sugar cookies, thumbprints and even classic gingerbread men.

“It’s just in my blood, I guess. Everybody’s got something, you know, and I love cooking. Especially the sweets,” said Lois Fillmore who made spice cookies.

“I started cooking at Irving’s Camp there, that’s my first start. Then I was at the nursing home for 13 years,” she said.

When it comes to how often she bakes, she joked as often as her husband will let her, but it was no secret the entire community looks forward to her baking year-round.

Overall, the special day gave seniors the chance to gather ahead of Christmas, try new recipes and even reminisce in some cases.

“I remember growing up mom always at Christmas, we always had, she’d try to make us gingerbread men every Christmas and decorate them and we only got it once a year, so it was special,” said Lois Taber.

“To me, gingerbread is Christmas. I used to bake with my mom and then I used to, when I came home from school, I’d just start baking to relax and baking to me is relaxing.”

Taber says she thinks there should be more events like the Christmas cookie exchange to help foster a sense of community and give people a reason to get out.

“I’m looking forward to next year’s,” she said.

Attendees took time filling their own boxes up with a variety of seasonal goodies and while it’s almost impossible to beat a bundle full of homemade treats, the best part, is always the company around the table.

“If we can get some of our seniors out of their homes and out to socialize with others, that’s important to us and these are the sorts of things that do it,” said Cole.

Darlene Oulton, a seniors navigator assistant, says she’s seen the difference it can make for people in the community and it really does help with isolation.

“Everybody’s been very excited and they think it’s great. We have a great turn out so I think it will continue next year, I would say, it’ll be a yearly annual thing that we do,” said Oulton.

“We just want to spread the word to everybody and have as many people come as they want. Some people are nervous to come and they want to bring a friend and that’s great. You don’t have to be registered with Nursing Homes Without Walls to come to our coffee groups.”

The coffee group meets every Wednesday from 10 a.m. until 11 a.m. at the Baie Verte Seniors Centre.

Due to the holidays, its next meeting will be on Jan. 8, 2025.

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