The annual contest is not as much about beauty as... innovation. Best use of materials. A unique chimney made out of something different. A scene in the "yard" that makes us laugh. Something we haven't seen before...
Most important is having fun.
Some years it gets competitive. The year one of my sisters was in Culinary School she got a little wacky with wanting to be precise and drove her partner - my son - Absolutely Crazy. Because he knew that's not what it should be about. Gingerbread contests shouldn't be about precision. They're about fun.
Do you make gingerbread - or graham cracker - houses? If you've got a crowd (or classroom) of kids, graham crackers are totally the way to go. (Or if you want to build a shanty town, like we did one year...) My dad instituted the idea of prizes - but everybody gets one. He comes up with a prize title that "fits" each individual work... and each winner gets a dollar. Even though they're teenagers now, the dollar still means something. The tradition still means something.
Probably because it's a tradition.
Do you have a tradition like this in your home?
We do this with grandparents every Christmas Eve. It's a tradition, but the only prize is getting to eat the candy. :)
ReplyDeleteFun enough prize!
DeleteI'm not sure when the contest will take place this year - but my mom bought the kits already, so we're ready whenever ;-)
Have fun with your housebuilding!
I've never made one, but now I want to see more pics!!!!!!
ReplyDelete