Christmas is a time when most people show a heightened sense of generosity through giving gifts to family, friends, and those in need.
However, a group of Sault seniors known as ‘the Christmas Cheer ladies’ show that spirit throughout the year by knitting and crocheting winter clothing and blankets to be given to Christmas Cheer clients each December.
There are 19 women in the group.
They knit and crochet mostly at home but gather every Wednesday at the Bay Street Active Living Centre to combine work with a get-together.
“We make Afghan blankets, slippers, mitts, scarves and hats, and it keeps us busy all year long,” said Deina Rouse, whose own passion is knitting hats for newborns.
Rouse has knitted baby hats for 15 years.
“I make about 300 of them a year,” she told SooToday.
“This is important because there are people who need the help. It’s a very giving feeling,” said Rouse, a mother of three and grandmother of eight.
A Nipissing native, Rouse has lived in the Sault since 1952. Now in her 80s, she resides at the Ontario Finnish Resthome.
The Christmas Cheer Ladies’ activities come under the auspices of the City of Sault Ste. Marie Recreation and Culture department’s Senior Services Active 55+ program.
The city operates two full-time centres for seniors including the Bay Street Active Living Centre located at 619 Bay Street and the Northern Community Centre at 556 Goulais Ave.
“They have been doing this for years," said Jennifer Arbour, Senior Services Active 55+ program supervisor.
"They come here to the Bay Street Active Living Centre every Wednesday and they sit here for two hours and do their knitting. They enjoy a social time together. They have coffee and enjoy each other’s company.”
Arbour said it’s gratifying to see seniors staying active and socializing while donating their time and talent to a worthy cause.
“That’s what our mandate is, to provide programming and opportunities for them to engage in activities and socialization, to reduce that isolation they may feel at home and get them out and about and active,” Arbour said.
Last year the Christmas Cheer ladies sent 1,333 knitted and crocheted items to Christmas Cheer.
They surpassed that number this year by making 1,672 items, Arbour said.
City of Sault Ste. Marie staff picked up the winter clothing items and delivered them to the Christmas Cheer Depot at the former Walmart location in the Station Mall.
Most of the items will go to Christmas Cheer while a few knitted blankets will go to long-term-care-home residents, Arbour said.