First Christian Church’s Christmas Cookie Bazaar planned

“We serve cookies by the pound, so they just get a clam shell when they come in and fill it up and then weigh it before they leave,” co-organizer Chris Robbins said. “It’s about $8 a pound, which sounds expensive, but a pound is quite a few cookies.”

Anyone shopping for ingredients knows it can be a costly venture, he said, and anyone wondering what a pound of cookies looks like can check out the Facebook page.

Robbins said they don’t know what kinds of cookies they will have to offer, given two different congregations donate the homemade cookies, so it is kind of a surprise. Most assuredly though, there is usually a wide selection to choose from, given there are about 200 pounds of cookies made and donated to the fundraiser annually. Another way to view it, he said is, in 2019, the church had over 60 varieties and estimated it had 450 dozen cookies for sale.

They try to have cards to explain what the cookies are and where the recipes originate from, co-organizer Barbara Robbins said.

Any cookies that are left over are donated to emergency services, city crews and places like the Youth Crisis Center.

The event has been held off and on for more than 40 years. The first cookie bazaar was used to raise money to build the church they are now housed in, after their former one burned in 1977.

In about 1998, they began doing the bazaar annually and splitting the proceeds between local charities.

Today, since a group has been started by the Rev. Jennifer Dawson that serves a large number of youths from the community through its Terrific Tuesdays program, Jewel Reid said the church can contribute to that, too, to sustain those activities. At the last one, she said, there were 27 youths.

Besides continuing the traditions of the cookie bazaar, Chris Robbins said new this year to the bazaar will be a nativity festival. Robin Rea with the First Presbyterian Church will be displaying some Nativity scenes of her own and from the church. She is not sure how many other members will add to the display this first year, but she anticipates the festival will start out fairly small.

Those coming in to purchase cookies can view the Nativities on display.

Rea has been to some large Nativity festivals, where all kinds of Nativities, made from different materials and from different countries, are on display in separate rooms. She is hopeful other churches and individuals will join in next year to expand the display and the festival will grow to be something that people travel from other places to see.