Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
The 2024 edition of the Cookie Walk is underway this weekend at St. Nicholas of Myra Orthodox Church on Avenue A and 10th Street.
Yesterday kicked off the event, offering one spot in the East Village where lines and Santas were anything but annoying. (And don't be turned off by the line: It moves quickly.)
We saw Rev. Father William (Bennett) and longtime event organizer Kim Busel at the event...
This year's theme is "international cookies," with over 80 varieties. (The church's 100th anniversary is next year, and they hope to have 100 cookie types available.)
In addition to cookies, the event features a holiday gift market, a craft station for kids, a photo station with Santa and his elves, a cocoa bar with an array of toppings, and a gift wrap section for packaging your cookie boxes.
Here's a look around...
The Cookie Walk is back in action today, with posted hours of noon to 3 p.m. (you may want to get there closer to the start time).
You can follow the Cookie Walk on Instagram here.
Minimum is $25 for a tiny box, you follow a line and fill it with cookies. You can't see what's coming up and if you get out of line to look, you have to go back and start all over again. The cookies are small, so you can fit a variety in the box. Signs advising "no tasting" and "box must close completely." The good: All cookies are labeled and have list of ingredients. The bad: no peanut butter cookies, no gingerbread cookies (my two favorites.) In retrospect, I would have rather have just donated 25 bucks to them and skipped the cookie thing.
ReplyDeleteAs an experience, especially for a family, it's a very nice holiday remembrance. You can grab a ton of photos, enjoy delicious cookies that you hand pick yourself, make some crafts, have some hot chocolate, get into some Xmas cheer. I usually never miss it. But this year I find myself in between jobs and spending nearly a buck a cookie was not in my budget. They should do some secret discounts for those who are struggling; after all, it's not like they have to lay out for taxes being a church and all.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment. It is true we do not have to lay out taxes. However, our building is over 100 years old, and as with every old building, there are constant repairs needed. In addition, we buy all the ingredients without anything being donated, and with rising prices, we spend a lot on ingredients. Aside from that, we Can understand there are people with hardships. I think if you would have secretly spoken to someone there, we could have worked something out. We as Christians understand the meaning of giving, especially in this holiday season and that it Is better to give rather than receive. Wishing you All the best and hoping your struggles are lightened.
DeleteThe cookies are works of art and they are delicious. There are more than one hundred kinds and each of those is a unique combination of ingredients. The members of the congregation prepare them with great care for taste and design and rigorously comply with public health methods. It is exhausting work and they persist each year even so (with the exception of the pandemic) to create one of the most superb highlight events of the holiday season in New York.
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