“The Cookie People”; Peterborough Family Deliver Holiday Cheer Through Thousands of Homemade Cookies
/Local family the Hurlingtons spread kindness and cheer through holiday baking, delivering 3,000 cookies in their Tudor Crescent neighbourhood.
They moved to Peterborough 17 years ago and became known as ‘The Cookie People,’ distributing the baked goods as a way to get acquainted with their neighbours in the Beavermead Park area.
Six different cookies were baked for the occasion, such as pumpkin spice shortbread, coconut washboard, wholesome jam thumbprints, mango apricot oatmeal, cocoa butter cookie and chocolate crinkle.
The homemade treats were delivered in 200 hand-decorated boxes.
“We bought plain white boxes in bulk and each took some time to decorate them. My little brother Yzedro especially loved drawing unique designs on the boxes,” said Alvea Hurlington, the eldest child of the family. “I’m recently engaged so this might be the last year we're all together over the Christmas break making cookies so it was a little bittersweet but lots of fun.”
Alvea says that new faces and long-time neighbours always enjoy the cookie delivery, which has been a family tradition since moving to the community.
“They've (neighbours) seen our family grow and they've watched each of us grow up. We're so grateful for the friendship and good energy that they bring to our community,” she said. “Every year we deliver to some new neighbours for the very first time. They always look at us a little funny when the group of us show up at the door and hand them a free box of cookies but they are always excited to see us back the next year!”
Alvea says the tradition brings her family together as they listen to music and dance around the house while baking. Photo courtesy of Alvea Hurlington.