There may not be any restaurants open Dec. 25, but there will be jingling and mingling aplenty on Christmas Day for anyone and everyone who wants to drop by the Cochrane Alliance Church around noon for some soup and fellowship.
For those who may not have a family here to share all the joy of the holiday season, the Cochrane Immigrant Services Committee (CISC) is once again putting on the popular Jingle Mingle event.
The tradition started out five years ago as a way to help recent immigrants who may be missing their families by giving them a welcoming place to come on Christmas Day. Since then, it has morphed into something bigger, as Cochranites of all descriptions came out to join in the mingling.
“Newcomers might not have a place to go, and seniors, and kids. So we came up with the idea for how we can bring those people together, so they can come together and say hello to their fellow Cochranites, around some warm soup,” explained Paul Singh, a director at CISC.
The idea was hatched, and right from the start organizers were overwhelmed in a good way, after some initial hesitancy about how many people were going to respond on a busy holiday like Dec. 25.
“We had a great response in 2018 – lots of people and lots of volunteers showed up that day,” he said.
Volunteers are happy to be back in person with the soup gathering this year, after a couple of years where they had to modify their approach into a drive-through version because of COVID-19.
Singh said that on Christmas Day, everything around town is kind of slow, and all kinds of people may be looking for something to do – be they immigrants or not.
Seniors who may be experiencing the ‘Christmas Blues’ will also be welcomed.
There will be plenty of hot soup, (donated by Gourmet To Go), some sweets and other treats, door prizes, and for the kids, some small presents which may be handed out by a surprise guest.
The Jingle Mingle runs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and everyone’s welcome to attend. The Cochrane Alliance Church is at 902 Glenbow Dr.
“Even if you don’t want soup, just come and say hello, and meet other people in town,” Singh said.
Singh, a man who wears many hats in Cochrane, was recently spotted volunteering at Light Up Cochrane.
He was tight-lipped when The Eagle tried to pry a hint out of him, as to what the special surprise for kids might be.
“There will be a special guest. I can’t disclose that. I can’t comment, I’ll just leave it there,” he said.
