Cookie exchange celebrates 61 years
Final holiday event held in honour of late host Barb Bromley
Meagan Leonard
Northern News Services
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
For many, cookies are a staple treat found around the house during the holiday season - with only the most delectable left out for Old Saint Nick on Christmas Eve.
Barb Bromley started a cookie exchange more than 50 years ago. She died this year and her daughter Maxine Avery held a final exchange at her house this month. - photo courtesy of Pat Jasper |
In Yellowknife, women have gathered for more than 60 years to share their favourite baking creations ahead of Santa's visit with friends and neighbours at an annual event hosted by the late Barb Bromley.
This year marked the final community cookie exchange, with more than 85 women coming together in her honour.
Bromley's daughter, Maxine Avery, hosted the event and said her mother took over the exchange from another woman when she moved to Yellowknife in the 1950s. At the time, she was far away from her family and it seemed like a good way to make new friends - a number of whom were still in attendance this year.
"She didn't have her family here and the friends that she made became her family," Avery explained.
Starting with just 20 people, the event has grown to the large group of 85 who filled Avery's house earlier this month. Bromley originally hosted the exchange at her home on 53 Street before moving to a smaller location on Latham Island over 30 years ago. Since then the event has been at Avery's home.
"I hosted it, but I always called it mom's cookie party," she said with a laugh.
Avery has many fond memories from exchanges over the years, including one Christmas where a seafood salesman, new to town, stumbled upon the traditionally women's-only party.
"There was a fellow who came up selling seafood and he was driving around town and he happened to see a bunch of cars around," she said. "So he stopped in - and the women ended up buying seafood from him from then on when he was in town."
Every year the types of cookies have also changed with many delicious options to choose from. It's never the same, she says.
"As a kid it was always really exciting, because we were always allowed to stay up a little later and we got to see all these fabulous cookies," she said. "It really runs the gauntlet and blows me away every time because there's such a varied amount."
This year, she said, many guests brought shortbread, but other years have seen themes such as children's cookies with decorated animals and gingerbread men. When there have been leftovers, they are donated to the Avens Community for Seniors.
"But we didn't have very many leftovers this year," she quipped.
After her mother passed away in February of this year, Avery said she and her family decided this Christmas would mark the last cookie exchange and she was thrilled to see young and old gather in her memory.
"People are very understanding. It started with mom and it ended with mom," she said. "I think she would have been pleased we had one more in her honour."
