Intro and History

In December 1963, we had just returned from our honeymoon and moved into our apartment. Christmas was only three weeks away and we wanted to have an old fashioned Christmas tree so we made paper chains, strung popcorn, and baked cookies which we made into ornaments. We also made extra cookies so that visitors could take them home with them.

To our surprise, no one came. They didn't want to impose on us at this busy time of the year. We sat there with all those cookies and no idea of what to do with them. Then inspiration struck. Let's wrap them up and put them into a bag and deliver them to people. Since there was only a few days until Christmas, we didn't have time to stop and visit, so we'll hang them on the door and run. Oh, and I guess we should put a note in the bag to let people know who they were from. The response was wonderful, but unexpected. "Wait till next year; we'll catch you!" And the rest is history.

Bigger and Better
Over the years, we have gone from a hand-written note to simple poems to elaborate poems. Our list has gone from fewer than ten to almost two hundred homes, constantly changing as our friends move in to and out of the area. Our family has grown from just the two of us, to three daughters, three sons-in-law, and eight grandchildren. Those fast third-generation legs sure help us to go undetected. Our vehicle has also changed from a '63 Impala to a 15-passenger van, which will soon be too small.
We all take part in the preparation of cookies, wrapping ornaments, sorting, planning the list, decorating the bags, and mapping out a delivery route that takes us hundreds of miles.

The Caper Reversed
The wealth of stories we have collected over the years is priceless. Not only have we had unending fun doing this cookie caper, but we have received many blessings in return. We enjoy hearing your side of the experience. Many people have turned the table on us. We've had Easter cookies, angels, Spiedie sauce (a New York favorite), and many other surprises left at our door. Interesting to note: all have come with a poem. We have received some very clever notes and poems in response to our deliveries.

Going Public
In 1997 we were featured in the Hartford Courant on Christmas Day. The following year our family was on the channel 20 Crossroads program. It was nice to share our story. The children were especially excited to have this opportunity.

A Look Back
Our scrapbook is bulging with poems and memorabilia of our family tradition. We thought it would be fun to share with you the original poems from each year. We hope you enjoy them and that they will spark happy memories of years past.