Gander restaurant feeds more than 50 people for free on Christmas Day

This year some folks got thingamajiggers for Christmas, and some folks got Christmas at Thingamajiggers.

Betty Skiffington Sagi, owner of Thingamajiggers pub and eatery in Gander, spent Christmas Day working in the restaurant with some of her staff, serving turkey and jiggs dinner to about 50 people who would have otherwise been alone.

"When I was growing up it was always family, always together. No matter how much we fought or whatever, we always had Christmas," said Skiffington Sagi. "That's the way I am now, I want other people to have Christmas too."

"We have so much and there's people out there that have nothing."

Skiffington Sagi welcomed people into the restaurant from noon until 3:00 p.m. on Christmas Day and served them at no cost, hoping to provide a warm, friendly place to go for anybody needing community and company, or just a warm meal.

People came from as far away as Lewisporte, she said.

"Christmas is a hard day to begin with for a lot of people. They're lonely, there's older people that all their family is gone or they're by themselves."

She also arranged pick-ups for those who needed a ride to the restaurant and delivered food to those who couldn't make it in.

'My staff is awesome'

After all was said and done, she and her staff cooked and served nine turkeys, 50 pounds of potatoes, 5 bags of peas pudding and 200 carrots.

"And turnip and cabbage," she said. They peeled it all the day before Christmas and cooked it all that morning, she said.

"My staff is awesome."

Working on Christmas to bring something special to others was definitely worth it, she said, for her and for her staff.

"My cook — nothing would have happened without my cook — she said she was a little skeptical at the beginning," Skiffington Sagi said.

But by the end of the day, she was convinced.

"She said next year, we'll have more, we'll do better."

No breaks in sight

After the party for the community wrapped up, she cooked another Christmas dinner for 14 of her family members at the restaurant that night.

On Wednesday, she was back at the restaurant, getting things all cleaned up and ready for yet another party — this one on New Year's Eve.

"I don't take breaks, I own the place," she said with a big laugh.

But Skiffington Sagi is grateful for the work and the pace. In fact, it's the restaurant's endless happy customers that made her want to host this year's Christmas dinner.

"People have been good to me this year and I just wanted to give back," she said.