Gingerbread Houses

Of all our Christmas traditions, our yearly gingerbread house building is very close to my heart.  My mother bought a house kit (I assume on a whim) maybe 5 years ago and it was a HIT with my family.  Since then, each year, she makes sure we have a house to decorate together.  The last two years, we have been upgraded to a Gingerbread VILLAGE (we're big time now), and my kids have the best time.  It's a lot of concentration - and SUGAR - but it's a great time.

 The little details never escape us, do they?  Those plates are the same ones my mom had when I was a kid.  There's something comforting about watching my children use them.  Along with the table we sit at.  Even though this isn't the house I made my memories at, that table has sure had some memories made at it over the years.

This was the first time Emma was able to decorate without instruction.  It was pretty awesome to watch her deliberately choose and then delicately set each candy that she touched.  (Maybe even more awesome when she wiped them all off and started over!)

Not to be outdone, my son is quite the decorator.  This year, he got to school my dad on building the chalet (which is deceptive - it looks the easiest, but getting the balance with the sides / roof is a pain).  They made a great team.

In the mean time, little miss decided that the candies looked like they would be more fun to taste than to decorate with.  Good thing we're all family.  After that, things started down hill.  Taste testing is a necessary element of house building, and my crew is seasoned at THAT.  All I can say is that icing may or may not have been threatened as a weapon.

And even if things were beginning to fall apart, the final touches are just as important as the building.  Creating streams of hanging icing, placing gumdrops and sprinkles one at a time, and even, yes, the breaking of the house to eat before the icing has had the chance to set.  They are all great memories.

In the end, through icing covered and licked fingers, broken cookies and crumb-covered smiles, the love of my family is sweetest part of the deal, and I am blessed to be a part of it.

Until next time,