Biidaaban Healing Lodge celebrates Christmas Spirit Contest winners

By Rick Garrick

BIIGTIGONG NISHNAABEG — Biidaaban Healing Lodge recently announced the three winners of its Christmas Spirit Contest featuring videos and photos of families getting into the Christmas spirit. The three winners were Biigtigong Nishnaabeg’s Anita Desmoulin who won $500, Pays Plat’s Montana Sutton who won $300, and Biigtigong Nishnaabeg’s Carol Twance who won $200.

“We started it at the end of November, so from the end of November up until Dec. 16, people were asked to share a short video clip or a picture of their family getting into the Christmas spirit,” says Trixie Dykstra, community outreach worker at Biidaaban Healing Lodge, which is located in Biigtigong Nishnaabeg. “It was open to all the members of the 13 First Nation communities in the Robinson Superior [area], one entry per household. We did the draw on Monday morning (Dec. 16).”

Dykstra says the winners were excited about their prizes, noting that Desmoulin dropped by for her prize on the day of the draw.

“She was just ecstatic that she won,” Dykstra says. “She was talking about purchasing a TV for one of her grandchildren, so she was very excited.”

Dykstra says the Christmas Spirit Contest brings the communities together for the Christmas season.

“For ourselves here at the Lodge, when we’re reading the peoples’ comments and looking at their pictures and watching their videos, the stories that they are sharing, you just feel that you are connected and you’re helping those get into the Christmas spirit,” Dykstra says. “So just hearing or reading those things, it’s uplifting.”

Dykstra says they did the prize-winning draws via Facebook so all of the communities could be included.

“We find that if we do it via Facebook, we get a lot of people entering from all of the different communities,” Dykstra says. “We just use the wheel of names, we just put them all in there and hit the button. When we do it live, people can see that their names are all in there and they can see it when we hit the button.”

Dykstra says they also served their Winter Feast on Dec. 18 for the people who signed up to pick up their takeout meals.

“We do offer sit in, too, if people are wanting to sit here and eat their meal, but usually most people just take it out,” Dykstra says. “We serve for 200.”

Dykstra says the staff at Biidaaban Healing Lodge prepared the meals beginning on Dec. 17.

“We started preparing yesterday with peeling the potatoes, making the desserts, getting the buns all ready, and today it’s like finish cooking all the turkey,” Dykstra says. “We do this four times a year and it’s always a really good turnout. We put out a sign-up sheet and usually within the first two days we’re already full. If we have extras…then we just deliver it to community members.”

Dykstra says they also had a couple of craft days for people to make Christmas crafts.

“Tomorrow will be our third cookie baking day, so we have people who come in and we all bake cookies together and they get to take their cookies home,” Dykstra says. “Kids can come, adults can come, it’s open to everybody.”

Dykstra says they also recently held a community sweat and a Full Moon Ceremony.

“Last Friday (Dec. 13), we held a community sweat for anyone who was needing that healing during this time of year,” Dykstra says. “And on Sunday night (Dec. 15), we held a Full Moon Ceremony here. They enjoy having that opportunity and it’s something we try to do every month.”