2008 Gingerbread House

12/13/08: Ah, The grand tradition of building a Gingerbread house during Christmas! I didn't grow up with this tradition but it seems to be catching on with us. Mainly because we received a kit last year from Pastor Matthew as a gift. It was so much fun that we decided to do it again. Here is a quote from a website on the origin of the tradition:

Ginger can be traced back to Europe during the 11th century. Explorers came back from the Middle East with the spice ginger. It quickly became popular, especially in Germany. Nuremberg, Germany is the gingerbread capital of the world. The Brothers Grimm, who wrote Hansel and Gretel, made gingerbread houses even more popular.

Erin was shopping at Tom Thumb when she saw an ad for building Gingerbread houses workshop. From the ad, it appeared to be free. In the end it wasn't but it was still a great value and a great time. For the lost price of $14.99, you get an endless amount of frosting, candy, and use of their tools. Well done Tom Thumb!!

Erin starts it out with by using some of her creative genius:

There is several little genius ideas that were employed during the construction. Cutting the chocolate bells in half was just one of them that was caught on camera:

Here is the final product:

Notice the dog (Otto) in the back yard....I think this tradition is catching on with our family. Especially if Tom Thumb continues to offer this deal!