Seniors from Bria Communities retirement residences share their

Seniors from Bria Communities retirement residences

share their fondest holiday memories, festive advice,

favourite Christmas treats and delicious drink recipes.

I still get choked up telling

this story. It was 1938 or ‘39,

my parents took my brother

and I to the Woodwards

Christmas window display in

Vancouver. It was beautiful

and I was impressed. We ooo-

ed and ahh-ed over it.

Then it was time to go see

Santa Claus. He sat in a huge

chair at a big desk with a large

book in front of him and he

held a giant pencil to write

your name in the big book.

You sat on his knee to tell him what you

want for Christmas, he gave us all a candy

cane and we were on our way.

I sure hoped that Santa wouldn’t forget

me at Christmas.

Soon after, I was taken sick and was

conﬁned to bed. One thing turned into

another and I missed school that year

from Christmas vacation to the beginning

of April.

As Christmas arrived I was feeling sick

and so sorry for myself and very low. On

Christmas eve, my parents took me from

my bed so I could see the beautiful tree

and I hung my stocking and had to go

right back to bed.

Christmas morning my parents woke me

up and to my surprise a lovely beautiful

Christmas tree was on my dresser with

presents under it and my stocking

was ﬁlled with goodies. Santa had not

forgotten me!

~Doris Stroyan, Sunridge Gardens

“Just carry on. We are forced onto

another path and we will probably

ﬁnd our lives in the New Year

stronger for having made the

eort required. Happy New Year.”

~Jessie Craig, 100 years old, Magnolia Gardens

It was a long time ago when us three

kids lived on our farm with my Mom and

Dad. Our nearest neighbour was a mile down

the unplowed country road. On Christmas

day, Mother and neighbour Phyllis would

get on the old crank phones and say Merry

Christmas to each family.

It was a bad time of year for the ﬂu and head

colds to be brought home from our schools

that often made all ﬁve of us sick. This year

was no dierent but much worse. Mother

passed on the bad news to neighbour Phyllis

that all of us were barely able to crawl out

of bed to do any of the normal farm chores,

and that there would be no Christmas dinner

and little else to eat.

A couple of hours later, we looked up at our

road gate to see Neighbour Tracy struggling

through a fresh 18” snowfall carrying a

big pack on his back. He wouldn’t come

in the house but passed in a big pot from

his backpack that was full of freshly made

chicken soup. This was our Christmas dinner,

and there couldn’t have been a better

choice for a family who were all too

sick to make anything to eat for

themselves.

~Allan Warner, The Waterford

OUR

FAVOURITE

CHRISTMAS

TREATS

Candy cigarettes on Christmas

morning. It was the only time

we were allowed to have them.

They were in our Christmas

stocking along with oranges,

nuts and a small toy. We were

allowed to open our stockings

before breakfast. I would sit

with my dad after breakfast

and pretend I was smoking

with him.

~Diane Mills, Sunridge Gardens

Brown paper bag at church

with nuts and mandarin orange

~Johanna Karse, The Wexford

Christmas fruit cake. My

parents had a bakery and my

father made Christmas cakes to

sell in the shop even during the

war when stu was rationed.

~Sheila Baker, The Waterford

Toee apples. Mom made them

with sprinkles.

~Desley Cook, The Wexford

Christmas pudding with lots of

fruit in it. My mom would make

it for us with a special syrup on

top!

~Gordon Phillips, Magnolia Gardens

“Keep a positive attitude. If you can,

keep communicating with as many

family and friends. I use Facetime, this is

the best invention ever made.”

~Jill Carroll, Sunridge Gardens

In 1946 my Father returned from

service overseas as a Canadian ocer

on loan to the British Forces. He had

been gone from my young life from age

four to nine. First training on Vancouver

Island and ﬁghting with the British forces

through Sicily, Italy, moving northward

in their quest for the Hun. All of this

was beyond my understanding at such

a young age and when he arrived in

Vancouver by train after the war I did not

recognise him.

A few months later we had our ﬁrst full

family reunion. It was a memorable event,

dressing the tree on Christmas Eve while

singing Christmas carols accompanied

by piano which both my parents played.

Christmas morning we had ordinary socks

hung by the ﬁre but laid at the end of

our beds, ﬁlled with an orange each, nuts

that had to be shelled using a nutcracker.

Finally, after what seemed like hours

we rushed downstairs to have breakfast

before we were allowed into the living

room to discover what presents were

under the tree.

We three children delved into our boxes

brought back from Europe by dad. He

gave my oldest brother a German Luger

hand gun which impressed both brothers

mightily. My second brother opened a

match box which held within a scorpion

(dead, thank goodness!) Mom received a

cameo from Italy and I, a sweet necklace

for a child of only nine.

Later we were joined by our Aunt and my

cousins for a big family meal with dad

carving the turkey with great panache.

Christmas pudding with hard sauce was

a real treat. The adults had wine and

liqueurs while our generation was treated

to ginger ale. With all of us together for

the ﬁrst time in so many years, it was very

special indeed.

~Karel Ley, The Wexford

Karel, her brothers, mother and ‘Tipper’ in a

photo sent overseas to her Father.

“Count your blessings and look out for one another, knowing

that we will come through this together.” ~Pat Traord, The Wexford

CHERISHED

TRADITIONS

I grew up in Australia, 100 miles from

Sydney. We would go in the bush—a

very long walk—and cut a eucalyptus

tree and drag it home. It made the

house smell so good. Because of

dragging it, the leaves would only be

on one side, so would put it against

the wall so people couldn’t see

the bare side. We decorated with

popcorn!

~Desley Cook, The Wexford

I loved going to church Christmas

Eve. Someone made a little stable

and the children enacted the Lord’s

birth. The music was wonderful.

~Edna Smith, Magnolia Gardens

I’m of Norwegian descent, we had

all Scandinavian food. Lute ﬁsh— it

stinks but when you’re raised with

it, it doesn’t bother you. We’d have

rice pudding with a nut in it, and the

one who got the nut was next to get

married.

~Inger Parent, Sunridge Gardens

Family get togethers in the past with

20-25 people with traditional foods.

(No sprouts please)

~Bob Brydon, The Waterford

Going to midnight mass. Afterwards

we could go home and have milk and

cookies.

~Barbara Terwolbeck, Magnolia Gardens

We were on our honeymoon in

the Cayman Islands and Christmas Day

was warm. In the morning we went

to the little church near the sea and

all through the service we could hear

the waves on the beach through the

open doors and windows. We were

staying with my husband’s friends and

their daughter invited us for Christmas

dinner—roast turkey with all the

trimmings. It was a beautiful Christmas

~Sheila Baker, The Waterford

The best Christmas gift besides

socks, shirts, ties and the usual, was to

be invited by our two sons in

Alberta to spend Christmas

with them and their families,

grandkids, and great

grandchildren. The air fare

was sent to us by our two

sons. It was a time I will

never forget. It was so special.

~John Wickham, Sunridge Gardens

“Just keep being merry.

We have all seen a lot of

dark spots in our life and

it always helps to keep a

good attitude.”

~Gordon Phillips, Magnolia Gardens

Born in 1943, I was the last of a family

of 12 children. Given my position in the

hierarchy, I naturally received lots of

love from my brothers and sisters and

especially from my mother.

In October 1947, my mother went to

the hospital to have another baby. I was

waiting for its arrival, so that I in turn

could have my own little sibling to play

with. My father brought me to the hospital

to see my mom because I was missing her,

but I did not see the baby.

“Where is the baby?,” I asked my father,

who had a sad look on his face. The nurse

who came into the room told me the little

baby had gone to Heaven. I started to cry.

During Christmas of that year, under

the tree, I saw a nice box, well wrapped,

that was for me. I opened it and I saw

a beautiful little pink baby wearing a

touque, mittens, socks and a diaper. Her

legs and her arms moved, and the doll

came with a little bottle. When I gave her

water, the baby doll wetted her diaper.

Usually for Christmas, my mother repaired

all of the old dolls, painted their faces,

and made new clothes for them with her

sewing machine. I always got the hand-

me-down, but this time, I had my very ﬁrst

new doll that was only for me. I was so

happy. I love my mother and I think about

her to this very day.

~Cecile Wacowich, The Waterford

1 14 oz can unsweetened coconut

milk

12 oz Silver tequila

8 oz Triple Sec

1/4 c lime

4 cups ice

Sanding sugar for rimming the glass

Lime slices and cranberries for

garnish.

Combine coconut milk, tequila,

triple sec, lime juice and ice in

blender. Blend until smooth. Rim

glasses with lime wedge and dip

in sanding sugar. Pour mix into

glasses and garnish with lime and

cranberries. Makes 6 servings

~Diane Mills, Sunridge Gardens

WHITE CHRISTMAS

MARGARITA

My Dad always

got a huge

Christmas tree. We

had a bay window

and it reached the

ceiling. When the

decorations were

on (I don’t remember who

decorated it) we children, six boys

and four girls, would sit around and

play “I spy with my little eye” and of

course that was fun.

~Edna Smith, Magnolia Gardens

I was a delivery boy for a drug

store when I was 12 years old. I worked

on Christmas Eve and everybody gave

me tips that night. I got paid the same

night and I was making $.35 per hour.

When I got home that night I had $25

which was a lot of money!

~Don Wood, The Wexford

My Christmas would start on

Christmas Eve. This was our special

night to have all the family over for

Ukrainian food. It was a busy night

to prepare 12 dishes of our traditional

food and every year we had to add

extra dishes as the family grew. The

young ones made the fruit punch and

there was much help from everyone.

Nothing but good memories each

year to remember.

~Julie Sereda, Sunridge Gardens

OUR FAVOURITE

CHRISTMAS

CAROLS

White Christmas by Bing Crosby.

It deﬁnitely has Christmas memories

for me.

~Joyce Parker, The Wexford

Cristãos, Alegria Que Nasce Jesus

a traditional Portuguese carol.

Translation: Christians, Joy That Jesus

Was Born.

~Maria Lucia Amaral, Sunridge Gardens

Good King Wenceslas. I like the warm

tone and sense of winter landscape.

~Frances McDonald, The Waterford

I’ll Have A Blue, Blue Christmas

Without You by Buck Owens. Thanks

to Covid-19.

~John Wickham, Sunridge Gardens

Little Town of Bethlehem. Our family

moved to Surrey BC. I went to

primary school and Sunday school

where our choir leader taught this

song. I loved it

~Clara Penner, The Wexford

Grandma Got Run Over By A

Reindeer. I smile every time I hear it

or even think of it... ‘But as for me

and Grandpa, we believe”

~Gwyneth Gilliland, Sunridge Gardens

My husband, Albert, was a joker. He liked to give a

gift that was funny. One day we were shopping and he

saw this great big pair of plaid shorts. He said, “I know

who I’m going to give these to.” On Christmas, our son

Jim opened them up, and Albert saw them and said “I

think they’re a bit small for you, Jim.”

The next year, Jim gave

the shorts back to Albert.

And our daughter-in-

law’s father Bill looked

at them and said, “I think

these will ﬁt me.” It was

so funny that year!

The shorts made the

round the next Christmas

too.

~Barbara Langla,

Sunridge Gardens

OUR FAVOURITE CHRISTMAS TREATS

We had a pond on our

property and we could only

have ice cream in the winter

when we could get the ice

and make ice cream. We

didn’t mind churning it because we

got the ice cream.

~Margaret Prescott, Sunridge Gardens

Christmas Log Cake from Safeway.

~Anne Joyce, Magnolia Gardens

A mandarin orange in the toe of my

stocking I hung up with care.

My dad’s work sock.

~Fran Taylor, The Wexford

Turkey and my mom’s Christmas dinner.

~Mary Saunders, The Waterford

My Mom was always prepared with

“Super Shortbread” and we would

toast to a happy future together with

shortbread and wine. The children were

always a part of this ritual.

~Jessie Craig, Magnolia Gardens

When I was young we lived next door

to my grandparents. Gramma made the

best home made fudge ever, and she

also made a french meat pie, a Canadian

Tourtiére. So delicious.

~Jill Carroll, Sunridge Gardens

Jim Langla and the big shorts.

1999

“Times will get

better.”

~Betty Webber,

Magnolia Gardens

“Be grateful

to be alive

and well and

do everything

possible to

conquer this

beast that

has ruined so

much.”

~Shirley Burnell

The Waterford

THE BEST GIFT I EVER RECEIVED...

“Tell your loved ones how much you LOVE them. We

isolate now so we can gather again with no one missing.”

~John & Audrey Ilott, Magnolia Gardens

My Christmas gift came early in 1948

on Christmas eve—so I opened it.

My second baby son! Born in Grace

Hospital, Vancouver. No rush, no fuss.

Treated like a queen with all the other

moms in the maternity ward.

~Mary Wight, The Waterford

When I was ﬁve or six I received a

ﬂashlight from Santa Claus. I couldn’t

wait for darkness so I could go outside

with it. This was the Depression, my

father made $80 a month and there

were nine in the family. There wasn’t

much money for expensive gifts!

~Les Edgeworth, The Wexford

My parents separated when I was in

Grade One and during the three years

of separation my father would come

the day before Christmas and each

of us kids got one present. This year

he gave me a beautiful red dress with

many black buttons on each sleeve. It

was lovely and I was able to wear it for

many years to come.

~Hilda Rasmussen, Sunridge Gardens

An engagement ring from my husband

David (now deceased). It was 1963,

we were emigrating to Canada from

London.

~Yvonne Lyle, The Wexford

My husband took me on a cruise in

1999 to the Caribbean for our 17th

anniversary.

~Flo Wilson, Sunridge Gardens

A sleeping doll that could walk and

stand up.

~Barbara Terwolbeck, Magnolia Gardens

My 15 year old girlfriend and her family

emigrated to Canada and left me

abandoned and lonely in Scotland.

Two months later I received my ﬁrst

Christmas gift from my girlfriend

and ﬁrst from Canada. It was a plaid

shirt which I wore with pride and was

greatly admired by my friends. 56 years

later Mary and I exchanged our ﬁnal

Christmas gifts.

~Bert Petrie, Magnolia Gardens

Bert & Mary Petrie

My favourite Christmas treat was my

good old teddy bear, Fizer Wolcott

Wemberly Weyman, he is now 80

years old.

~Grace Munro, Sunridge Gardens

First Christmas with my future

wife to be was at my parents

house. My gift to my wife was a

siamese kitten. “Tammy” shared our

apartment and surprised us a few

weeks later with a litter of kittens.

We kept one and gave the other two

to my wife’s parents.

~Jim Scott, Magnolia Gardens

Living in

Vancouver in the

1960s, Christmas eve

was always special at

the Watt house. Family

members and friends lived within a

‘hop and a skip’ by car. There was

singing around the piano. There was

a warm feeling of ‘joie de vivre’ of

expectation!

~Ella Watt, The Waterford

My most memorable Christmas

should not be a memory lasting this

long for any one.

It occurred less than a month before

Christmas 1969, when on November 29,

without preamble, my wife asked me to

leave her and our three children aged

ten, eight, and seven and move from our

home. I celebrated Christmas on my own

that year by delivering a box of multiple

gifts to the family but did not receive any

acknowledgement or thanks.

The memory of that time faded with

passing years as other loved ones shared

my life. Each year I have managed to

keep things in perspective and enjoy

the season for the most part. This

year a meltdown broke through my

reserve upon receiving the request for a

“Memorable Christmas Story”

Thank you for giving the opportunity to

express these thoughts and perhaps to

exorcise the sadness of the experience.

Christmas this year, 2020, will be a

happier time for having put this narrative

into cathartic words on paper.

~Name withheld by request

“We are so lucky to live in

Canada. Smile, do whatever you

can to make this Christmas a

little brighter for someone else.”

~Gwyneth Gilliland, Sunridge Gardens

2 liters cranberry juice

2 liters apple juice

Bring to a simmer

In a cheesecloth combine:

1 tsp whole cloves

1 tsp allspice

Add the cheesecloth package along

with a couple of cinnamon sticks.

Simmer for an hour. Add sugar to taste.

~Sheila Homfeld, Sunridge Gardens

Dad would make ginger beer.

It had to sit for a while through the

night, you would hear the bottles

popping.

~Desley Cook, The Wexford

A Rusty Nail: Scotch and Drambuie

~Bert Petrie, Magnolia Gardens

Harvey Wallbanger was a favorite

-2 oz Vodka

-1 oz Cointreau

I never met one I didn’t like.

~Les Edgeworth, The Wexford

A drink of scotch whiskey with ice

and ginger ale just before dinner

~Harry Hinkleman, Sunridge Gardens

White Pinot Grigio

~Sandy Karse, The Wexford

MULLED CIDER

WITH CINNAMON

STICKS

THE BEST

CHRISTMAS

DRINKS

When I was six, Sister Ann asked

my mother if I would sing Silent Night at

midnight mass on Christmas Eve. And I’m

not a singer, I’m more of a tomboy, but

I sang Silent Night at midnight. It must

have been quite touching. My mother

was crying, and even the Nun had tears

in her eyes. But I’ll never forget what

happened next.

The church was big and had a big choir

loft where I sang my solo. When I ﬁnished

my solo, I turned to leave the balcony

with my mother. There was a hymnal on

the railing. I bumped it and it dropped

down out of the balcony.

The clergy were on their way into church

and I don’t know whose head I hit, but it

hit someone. Needless to say my mother

was horriﬁed.

~Margaret Prescott, Sunridge Gardens

We made it by beating two eggs,

adding milk and nutmeg or a little bit

of cinnamon. Beat together and have a

glass with a Christmas cookie or two.

~Edna Smith, Magnolia Gardens

Add Scotch

~Don Wood, The Wexford

Egg Nog—egg, half and half, warm milk,

dash of vanilla and rum

~Frances McDonald, The Waterford

EGG NOG

VARIATIONS

We moved from East 50th and

Gladstone St. near Victoria Drive in

Vancouver, BC, by train to McBride, BC in

April, 1939.

There were no roads in or out of McBride

at this time. A relative picked us up at

the train station and took us with horse

and wagon out to my grandfather’s farm

house, six miles from town.

It was a very large farm house with two

stories, so there was enough room for my

family of ﬁve, my grandparents and two

uncles. With the help of two neighbours

and my two uncles and my father we

proceeded to build a log house in the

farm across the road from Grandad’s

farm. The house was completed in 1942.

Christmas Eve 1942, we were sitting by

the Christmas tree that we had cut

down in our backyard close to our

new log house. We decorated it with

homemade trinkets and a few candles

that we would only burn for a few

minutes because of the ﬁre hazard. We

had shortbread and icebox cookies and

chocolate fudge that my mother made

from scratch along with a cup of hot

chocolate.

~Harry Hinkleman, Sunridge Gardens

Harry and his wife, Eleanor outside the log

house in McBride, BC.

Jean Burnham of The Waterford

enjoying homemade egg nog.

Treats were scarce during war years.

My favorite treats were mainly made

by my mother. Clootie Dum Pling

(Cloth Dumpling) was very popular.

~Bert Petrie, Magnolia Gardens

Christmas cake. Mom was a really

good baker.

~Winona Thorp, The Waterford

Popcorn balls made by my mom.

For years I made them for my children.

~Bonnie Rose, The Wexford.

Christmas donuts made by maternal

Grandmother.

~Bob Brydon, The Waterford

White cookies with red sprinkles on

top. Made by mom and decorated with

sprinkles. My sister cut teeny ones

by using the bottle top of the vanilla

bottle. Mom put them in a pint jar and

hid them so the boys wouldn’t ﬁnd

them too soon.

~Clara Penner, The Wexford

My favourite was my Mother’s

Christmas cookies, but I thought Santa

made them.

~M. Joan Bahr , Magnolia Gardens

Sweet bread and tangerine

~Tony Amaral , Sunridge Gardens

OUR

FAVOURITE

CHRISTMAS

TREATS

My favourite

tradition was

having family

all together for

Christmas dinner

and we opened our gifts

from under the Christmas tree.

~Verna Harris, Magnolia Gardens

“When we look

back over the years,

we experienced

many problems: the

Depression, wars,

serious illness,

economic downturns.

When these things

were happening, we

thought they would

never go away. With

the coronavirus we can

now see some light at

the end of the tunnel.

Hopefully it will become

a thing of the past soon.

My wife used to say

“Take one day at a time

and hope for the best.”

~Les Edgeworth, The Wexford

Every Christmas was special

but, in 1967 we had adopted Wendy

and she was a year old. I was having

all my family and Mel’s for dinner,

but Christmas Eve I opened one

of Wendy’s gifts. It was the cutest

fancy dress! I even woke her up so I

could see it on her! Adorable! I took

pictures, then put her back to bed. I

know, I’m crazy!

~Elaine Hislop, Sunridge Gardens

OUR FAVOURITE

CHRISTMAS

CAROLS

Santa Claus is Coming to Town (Bing

Crosby). I like the rhythm of it and

the excitement it brings.

~Gordon Phillips, Magnolia Gardens

Jingle Bells. As a youngster I liked

jingling the bells. I always used to go

around the house with bells.

~Margaret Prescott, Sunridge Gardens

Twelve Days of Christmas! So much

fun to watch people stand and sing

their part!

~Evelyn Fowler, The Wexford

A Holly Jolly Christmas by Burl Ives

It captures the happy atmosphere of

the holiday.

~Jim Scott, Magnolia Gardens

It was 1936 on the cold, snowy

Saskatchewan prairies in the midst

of the Great Depression. On Christmas

morning, beside the tree was a brand

new store-bought, kid-size, red wagon

with rubber wheels for my older

brother and me.

~Ed Martin, Magnolia Gardens

My oldest son David was born

November 20th, 1957. His ﬁrst

Christmas we put him under the

Christmas tree. He was our best

Christmas present ever!

~Joyce Parker, The Wexford

My parents, two sisters and I

always sang carols by the ﬁreplace,

especially on Christmas Eve. For many

years my Dad was overseas and the

Christmas he came home remains one

of the most magical memories of my

childhood.

~Barbara Geddes, The Waterford

“Appreciate what family

you do have near you.

Plan a project and work

together virtually, instead

of feeling sorry for

yourself.”

~Susan Simmons, Magnolia Gardens

“Sing—even if you are

tone deaf, and in the

shower if you are

shy! Smile—even to

yourself.”

~Maria Lucia Amaral,

Sunridge Gardens

I was four years old when we moved

to Camp Morton, Manitoba (ten miles

north of Gimly.) It was our ﬁrst Christmas

in Canada. My father asked my sister and

I to go for a walk in the woods with him

and pick out a Christmas tree. We did

and he cut it down and brought it home.

It was at the beginning of the second

world war. They were hard times and we

didn’t have any decorations. Dad had

bought some peanuts which we tied on

the branches and we made some paper

rings. He got some straw and put it on

the ﬂoor below the tree to make it look

like in Europe. We had our Christmas

Eve dinner, sang some Ukrainian carols,

and opened our Christmas presents and

played cards.

My mother left the room to get our beds

ready for the night. I decided to look

out the window at all the beautiful stars

in the sky when I spotted Jesus in the

manger with Mary and Joseph in the

middle of all the stars! I could not believe

my eyes and wanted to call my Mom but

I felt glued to the window and couldn’t

move or speak.

Finally after a couple of minutes I was

able to turn around and call Mom but

when I looked back at the window,

the vision was gone. My family did not

believe me and said I was imagining, but I

can still see it in my mind today.

~Ollie Hodges, The Wexford

The best gift I ever received was a Flexible Flyer Sleigh. We lived in

a hilly part of New Westminster and a mile long hill was blocked o. My

sleigh was light and fast and easy to pull back up the hill. A local parent built a 12 foot

sleigh and that was fun (as long as a father volunteered to pull it back up the hill.)

~Jim Scott, Magnolia Gardens

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THE BEST GIFT I

EVER RECEIVED...

My bicycle. My parents gave it to

me. I had waited for it for two years.

~Mary Saunders, The Waterford

The best gift was a music box. The

top jumped up at the words ‘Pop

Goes the Weasel!’ My two brothers

gave it to me.

~Clara Penner, The Wexford

It was the late 1930s. Money was

scarce. On this particular year the

teacher put our names in a box and

we had to draw a name, then get a

gift for that person. The gift I got

was Snow White and the Seven

Dwarves. About 2.5” high, brightly

coloured, clay-type material. The

joy that gift brought still resonates

after all these years.

~Ella Watt, The Waterford

The year was 1952, my four

younger brothers and I were

excited on Christmas Eve as

we hung up our stockings and

tried once again to imagine

what might be in the parcels

under our sparkling Christmas tree.

All too soon we were sent o to bed and

to sleep.

When we got up Christmas morning

we got a huge surprise when our dad

announced that our Mom was in the

hospital and that we had a new baby

sister. Oh yes we enjoyed our new

toys and games, and the treats in our

stockings but for all of us our new little

sister was the best gift of all.

~Ruth Shankland, Sunridge Gardens

“Don’t let Covid-19 get the

best of you! Keep happy!”

~Bud & Helen Seabrook, Magnolia Gardens