On 21 December, in the midst of the final push towards Christmas, the spouses of the 91st Security Forces Group hosted a gingerbread village making event for the Edgewood Senior Living Community in Southwest Minot. An opportunity for music, snacks, fellowship, and fun, it was the first event of its kind put on by 91st SFG.

Organizer Julie Slaton shared that, “It got started from an idea to get military spouses and elderly together…” Julie originally pitched the idea at a spouses’ coffee, where it was agreed that they would love to have a spouse event that would give back to the community in some way. Additionally, they knew that the elderly are sometimes overlooked, and need someone to bring them joy during the holiday season. “For [military families,] some can’t go home for the holidays so it gave them an opportunity to have a ‘grandparent’ in their Christmas festivities and for the elderly, most [of whom] can’t leave the facility, it just gave them the joy of being around people or ‘family’ so to speak.”

Many individuals and groups helped bring this event together. Edgewood was chosen because Julie’s friend Holly, a former milspouse, works with the facility to provide art therapies for those suffering from Parkinson’s Disease, which she herself has been living with for close to 11 years. She put Julie and fellow 91 SFG spouse Carrie Driver in touch with the facility to coordinate the event. The facility itself donated their space, cookies, hot chocolate, and also helped residents get to and from the Bistro. Julie shared that the gingerbread house kits were donated by True North, candy was donated by the Minot AFB Dental Clinic, which had bought back Halloween candy to send to military overseas, and the rest of the supplies were donated by the 91st SFG.

The day of the event was sunny, with plenty of light streaming in through the windows at Edgewood’s Fireside Bistro. Christmas carols played in the background, while residents trickled in and out to build their creations, enjoy snacks, and make new friends. Families paired up with residents whose hands were not steady enough to assemble the houses themselves or built alongside them. All the while people were sharing stories from their past, such as Edgewood resident Carol, who joked that her creation probably looked about the same as those of her former first graders in Burlington. The children, who were either piling the candy onto their gingerbread like crazy or running around the room playing, also drew plenty of smiles from residents who seemed to particularly enjoy being in their presence. Funny enough, both groups were equally likely to sneak some candy or frosting when they thought no one was looking!

Sometimes, The best events include a bit of spontaneity and do not go completely according to plan. While the original vision was to build a gingerbread village to put on display in the facility’s entry area, most gingerbread architects were so excited by their creations that they opted to bring them back to their rooms instead. Additionally, while this event was put on by the spouses of the 91st SFG, word of mouth and a friendly, inclusive attitude meant there were also families from the 5th Bomb Wing’s Mission Support Group, Maintenance Group and Operations Group present. It was an afternoon enjoyed by all, made possible by the hard work and planning of the SFG spouses.

The spouses of Team Minot do a lot to support the base and local community, especially during the holidays. When asked why she thinks people are willing to go that extra mile, even though they themselves are incredibly busy, Julie noted, “I know I jump in and help more because I want people to know that they are cared for and that they have value. The festivities and socials during this time of year just allow us to get more involved with people and events. The holidays are also full of various traditions so it enables more ideas and ways to reach different people that might not be thought of otherwise.” She added, “I think it really happens all year, one just sees it more… during the holidays because [they] are a great time to show appreciation and gratitude for [our] community.”