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Do you like to compete? Sure you do. Do you follow movita’s annual gingerbread house competition? Of course you do. Do you want to participate this year? Hells yah, you do!

Ginger used to be a competition between just The Rutherfords and movita. But now they have kids, and they are weak. Trying to organize The Rutherfords has always been a challenge, but now that they’ve reproduced? Almost impossible. So, last year, I opened the competition to the whole world. And there were six entries. And sure, that’s not a lot when you consider I invited the entire planet to compete, but it was wicked awesome fun. So, here’s what I’m thinking: why don’t you get off your rear and compete with me? And other losers cool people from the interweb? The Rutherfords can get on board too. Who knows… maybe their kids will sleep one night and they can slap together one of their crappy houses.

Here’s what you do:

1. Create a super-awesome gingerbread house. It could even be a condo. I don’t like rules, so as long as it is a building zoned residential, agricultural and/or commercial, I’m happy. Slap up some sort of building, people.
2. Send movita a picture (two maximum) of your super-awesome gingerbread house by Monday, December 19th @ midnight. In your time zone. Cripes, stop freaking out. Also, if you could downsize your photos to around 500k or less, that would be awesome. Please don’t crash my email.
3. Watch for a picture of your super-awesome gingerbread house to appear on movita beaucoup. I figure only about four six of you will enter, so your odds of making it to the site are pretty darn good.
4. Watch people vote for your super-awesome gingerbread house. The voting will take place Tuesday, December 20 to Thursday, December 22. Because competing is festive! The winner will be announced on Friday, December 23rd.
5. Win the respect and admiration of many. And, wait for it… a prize.

The prize has been sponsored by yours truly – because ballet teachers are rich, I say, rich! The winner will receive: In the Sweet Kitchen (paperback) and The Gingerbread Architect (hardcover).

And I know what you’re thinking: movita, what happens if you win? Well, in the extremely likely event that I win the competition, the runner-up will receive the prize. See? I can play nice.

So, it’s settled. Start decorating your sugar shacks, and send me your photos.

Email photo(s) of your entry to movita {at} live.ca by Monday, December 19, 2011.

Oh, photos shouldn’t include you/your kids/your pets. We just wanna see your ginger creation. Be sure to send your name, email and any other information you might want included with your entry. That’s right – I’ll post some lame-ass story you tell me about your super-awesome sugar shack on the interweb. Your personal information will not be posted on the interweb. That would be creepy. Just your first name, the photo(s), and anything dumb you’ve insisted I include about your gingerbread house like, “my cockatoo helped me decorate the roof! Isn’t that hilarious!?! LOL!!”

Actually, I refuse to post LOL’s on my blog. So don’t bother trying. And don’t send some photo you found online and then claim it as your own. That would be totally lame.

Here’s what happened last year.

The competition starts… NOW!