‘Our way of saying thank you’: Bracebridge Library launches holiday gifting program for seniors

The Santa for Seniors program returns for another year to bring smiles to retirement homes across the region.

The Bracebridge Library is ensuring no seniors feel alone this holiday season, by inviting the public to extend some kindness to their community.

In the annual Santa for Seniors program, seniors living in the area can submit anonymous holiday wish lists, which will then go out to the public and patrons of the library, who can buy an item from the list, wrap it, and return it to the library to later be gifted to the senior.

The library has partnered with several long-term care homes and retirement residences in the region to once again launch the initiative. This is the fifth year the program is running in an effort to combat loneliness among seniors.

Marketing and Communications Coordinator Matthew Reisler emphasizes the importance of recognizing our senior population in this way.

“Our community is what it is because of the dedication of the previous generations,” he says.

The library is filling a need for the older population in the community who may not have loved ones around them this time of year.

“We know some seniors may not be able to see their families during the holidays, so this program is our – and the community’s – way of saying thank you and showing them how much we care about them,” Reisler continues.

If the public wants to participate in the program, the lists are now available at the library and gifts must be dropped off by Fri., Dec. 12, 2025.

According to Canada.ca, 30 per cent of Canadian seniors are at risk of becoming socially isolated.

The Bracebridge Library has been serving the Muskoka community since 1908.