Cookie, lobster sales are church holiday traditions

The News Journal

The rush, rush, rush of the holiday season is already here.

Does the thought of baking this year sound like a drag? Relax. Go to a cookie walk and all the baking, and decorating, is done for you.

Several area churches are hosting their annual cookie walks in early December.

Cookie walks at area churches will be held in early December.

How does a cookie walk work?

Visitors usually pay a set price for an empty box, are handed gloves, and then walk around various tables in church halls, filling boxes with cookies usually made by parishioners.

Some churches will charge by the weight of the cookies, while others have set fees.

Where to find them:

• The Mary Martha Circle of Bethel United Methodist Church in Lewes is holding its Annual Cookie Walk on Saturday, Dec. 1.

Doors of the Sussex County church at 129 W. Fourth St. open at 9 a.m. At $9 per pound, a variety of Christmas cookies will be offered.

The Lewes church is across from Beebe Medical Center’s east parking lot. Call (302) 645-9426 or visit www.bethellewes.org

Area churches hold cookie walks where someone else does the baking and decorating.

•St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, 1314 Foulk Road in Brandywine Hundred, will be at 9 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 1, in its Fellowship Hall. There will be a wide variety of cookies, including gluten free. Cookies will be $10 per box. Visit www.stpaulsumcde.org/.

• St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church at 200 Marrows Road in Newark hosts its 30th Annual Cookie Walk Friday, Dec. 7, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Cookies are $6 for small and $15 for large. The church also is selling homemade soup. Vegetable beef and chicken corn soups are $8 a quart and $15 for 2 quarts (2 quarts are available only by pre-ordering).

Lunch for $10 includes soup, sandwich, chips and a drink. For pre-orders or take out, call 302-738-4331. Visit www.standrewsnewark.org

• Aldersgate Church at 2313 Concord Pike in Brandywine Hundred holds its annual cookie walk on Saturday, Dec. 8. Doors open at 9 a.m.

Visitors can fill a box with homemade Christmas cookies. The cost is $12 a box. Cookies, other baked goods, crafts and “new to you” Christmas decorations will also be available for purchase. Visit www.aldersgatede.org or call (302) 478-2575.

• St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Lewes will host its annual Cookie Walk Dec. 15 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the parish hall at the intersection of Second and Mulberry streets.

Cookies will include hundreds of decorated holiday cookies as well as chocolate chubbies, molasses crinkles, peppermint wedding cookies, shortbread and toffee almond sandies. Fill a large box for $12 or a small one for $8. For more information, call (302) 645-8479.

• Instead of a cookie walk this year, Epworth United Methodist Church at 19285 Holland Glade Road, near Rehoboth Beach, will be hosting a Gingerbread Competition and Exhibition from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 24. The church also is hosting Breakfast with Santa that day. The cost is $5 for children, and $7 for adults. Gluten-free options are available. For tickets, email info@gingerbreadjoy.org or purchase at the church office during business hours, Fridays until noon.

Lobster more to your liking?

Fresh or steamed lobsters can be purchased at the 35th annual Lobster & Wreath Festival at Church of the Holy City, 1118 N. Broom St. in Wilmington, on Friday, Nov. 30 from 4 to 7 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 1 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Not a fan of sweets? How about some holiday shellfish?

Church of the Holy City in Wilmington church is continuing its 35-year tradition of selling fresh lobsters from Maine, a variety of clams, mussels and picked crab meat, an assortment of apple and pecan pies, holiday cookies, cakes and breads and balsam wreaths.

The annual Lobster & Wreath Festival at 1118 N. Broom St. will be Friday, Nov. 30, from 4 to 7 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 1, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The tradition started in 1983 at the Swedenborgian church, founded in 1858. It was moved stone-by-stone from Delaware Avenue and Washington to its present North Broom Street location in 1917.

Those who missed the preorder deadline can still come to the church on the day of the sales. There are often ample supplies of lobsters and wreaths available.

The cost for lobsters is $8.95 per pound for regular 1 to 1 1/2 pounders; $13.50 per pound for jumbos weighing 2 pounds and more; and $37 per pound for picked lobster meat.

Clams are $4.95/per pound; mussels are $2.95 per pound (you get about 12-15 per pound); and picked crab meat is $8.50 for an 8-ounce container.

Lobsters can be steamed free of charge. The church asks that customers let them know what time they plan to pick up steamed lobsters. (Just a note: They say Friday evenings can often get quite hectic, so Saturday might be a better choice, if you prefer a more relaxed experience.)

Wreaths come in small, medium and large sizes and are traditionally decorated with pine cone and holly wreaths. The church also makes custom wreaths from an assortment of decorations.

The cost for plain wreaths is $19 for small; $24 for medium; and $33 for large. Traditional wreaths with a red bow and holly are $29 for small; $38 for medium; and $47 for large.

Call (302) 655-7315 and place the order on the answering machine. Leave your name, phone number, email address, lobster order, including live or steamed, other seafood, wreath order and day and time of pick-up.

Temple on Tatnall campus was once a gas station.

She said she was over dating. Then she looked up and saw him.

Contact Patricia Talorico at (302) 324-2861 or ptalorico@delawareonline.com and on Twitter @pattytalorico