Joanne MacDonald: mom of four, Kentville, N.S., 3rd place, Holiday Cookie Contest. Twelve years ago, Joanne MacDonald started preparing baskets of homemade treats for everyone on her massive Christmas list. One by one, the lucky recipients returned their empty baskets in hopes of having them filled again. Joanne obliged, and a highly anticipated holiday tradition was born. This year, Joanne’s baskets will include her award-winning Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake Bars, whose recipe she painstakingly created and tested especially for Chatelaine’s Holiday Cookie Contest.