Children of Niagara-on-the-Lake are bringing a little cheer to 227 long-term care residents thanks to the town’s first Christmas card contest.

The winning designs will be made into Christmas cards and the mayor will sign each and every one before they’re delivered.

“I'm going to be signing each one individually. And whether it's 200 or 300, I'm happy to do it,” Lord Mayor Betty Disero said.

Of the 21 submissions, the five winning designs were made by Kya B., Graham S., Michaela A., Vivienne A., and Brylee M.

This is the first time the town has held the contest and Disero said she’s thankful to the communications team for dreaming up the idea.

“I think people should send Christmas cards more. I'm still thrilled every time I receive a Christmas card from anywhere. I'm happy the town is doing this and I think it might bring a little bit of happiness to people. So that's a good thing,” she said.

And though this year face-to-face gatherings won’t be possible and the “new norm” of social media and internet connection helps bring people together, Disero said she’s happy to have this old-school connection to reach some members of the community.