We all know that retirement can bring more solitude than anyone plans for. For baby boomers living alone, the holiday season can make loneliness and social isolation feel louder. A 2024 study of 7,182 adults in Frontiers in Public Health found that people who made things, crochet included, reported more happiness and a stronger sense that their life was worthwhile. Crafting wasn’t linked to less loneliness, though; the researchers suspect it’s because most people crochet alone. Healthy aging and longevity need company.Donna R., 67, a retired school cook from St. Paul, Minnesota, is one of those baby boomers. Her solitude ended the day a police car stopped outside her door. A stranger’s kindness and empathy turned her daily crochet habit into a friendship, happiness and 214 scarves for kids this Thanksgiving, or, broadly speaking, the holiday season.