An Edmonton woman is sending handwritten “thank you” notes to residents of YEG Candy Cane Lane.
Angelika Matson read about vandalism happening in the Crestwood neighbourhood and decided she wanted to spread some holiday cheer of her own to the neighbourhood that provides so much of it to Edmontonians.
“I thought, ‘Why not give a card to every resident?’ Everyone likes getting a thank you card,” Matson explained.
She expected about 50 cards would need to be written but quickly discovered there were many more residents involved.
“I didn’t realize how big Candy Cane Lane was! There’s more than 140 houses that need cards,” Matson laughed.
“I have crowd-sourced with social media and am asking people to write about 10 cards. I’ve been driving around the city picking them up.”
Matson said many of the letters are personal or sentimental, detailing how the holiday staple has impacted them.
“I cried when I read one message. It said: ‘Candy Cane Lane was one of the first Christmas-related activities I visited as a newcomer to Edmonton and Canada. Thank you to everyone who makes it happen every year.'”
YEG Candy Cane Lane has been a popular holiday activity for more than 50 years.
“I didn’t realize how important the event was to so many people’s Christmas traditions. Everyone has a story about Candy Cane Lane. I’d like to see it continue. Maybe this will become something that happens every year.”
“I think it’s indicative of the spirit of Edmonton. We all go out and stand in the cold and do something festive. To be able to find a way to thank these people is really great. They raise so much for Edmonton’s Food Bank.”
If there are extra letters received, Matson said she plans to give them to the community league or volunteers who help make the event happen.
“I know how important a ‘thank you’ is. It’s so motivating. I thought that maybe they weren’t getting thanked as much as they should. This is a good way to do it.”
Matson plans to have the letter delivered by mid-January. If you’d like to pen a letter, you can get in touch with her on Twitter.