LEBANON — When it comes to Christmas cookie decorating, there are a few things you can never have enough of: frosting, glitter, and chocolate chips.
Okay, well, maybe some of that is better in moderation. And no one would know that better than the Christmas Cookie Queen herself, Debbi Groeler.
She earned that title for organizing the St. Peter's Country Christmas Cookie and Craft Sale in Lebanon, Dodge County, since 1998. The team of volunteers Groeler manages is serious about their cookies. They bake about 3,000 pounds of cookies. In other words, that's 50,000 cookies in just a few short weeks. And it's not all the same cookie either. They have more than 100 different recipes.
"Some days are long days, and we get tired out, but no, I love it. It's my thing," Groeler said.
The sale started as a way to raise funds to make improvements to the St. Peter's Lutheran Church and School. Once those initiatives were accomplished, they began supporting various mission trips.
People come from all over Wisconsin and even out of state to buy these cookies. Some have traveled hundreds of miles for these holiday treats.
“They'll wait an hour and a half for cookies. 'Yup, it's just a part of our day,'" St. Peter's Pastor Douglas Bergelin said.
However, what people love more than the taste of the cookies is how the sale brings people together. Whether you are baking or buying, the cookies create community connections.
"You have church members for decorating, you have friends and family, you have community members who are here and just walk in are like, 'Yup, I'm just here to help,'" Pastor Bergelin said.
As for the baking volunteers, some have been doing it for decades. Others, like Jess Maas, married into the tradition. She has been a decorator for two years.
“This is a time we get to work together on a good cause, and it's also good to get to know each other better. I mean, we see each other in passing around town all the time but this is really valuable time we can spend," Maas said.
It’s a community that is serious about its cookies, but it is even more serious about supporting its community.
The St. Peter's Country Christmas Cookie and Craft Sale will happen at the church on December 6th and 7th. They also serve cinnamon rolls and soup. The address is W4661 Cty. Rd. MM, Lebanon. More info can be found here.
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