What’s new, my little lambs? Are you excited? Would you like to know who won Ginger 2019 — the sweetest battle on the planet? Wonderful! We’ll get to that, but first I’d like to discuss this competition’s namesake, ginger.

Ginger is a spice that comes from the fresh or dried root of the ginger plant, zingiber officinale. Ground, fresh, pickled, preserved, dried, candied or crystallized, our flavourful friend helps bring life to a variety of dishes.

The story of ginger dates back thousands of years. Some people claim it is an aphrodisiac which explains a lot about your dedication to this competition.

Wait! Where are you going?

*sighs*

After some serious deliberation, the 2019 Ginger Panel has selected our champions!

1st PLACE: SUSAN’S THE PRECIPICE

I mean, look at that thing! Susan’s entry wowed the 2019 Ginger Panel with its incredible attention to detail and scale. Susan’s entry wowed me by finally finding a use for dehydrated broccoli.

Congrats, Susan! The Precipice is a glorious, awe-inspiring creation. Yours is a well-deserved victory!

2nd PLACE: KERRI’S BAKERY

For the second year in a row, Kerri has secured a second-place victory! If memory serves, Kerri won a People’s Choice Prize way back in 2016 as well. The Ginger Panel seemed especially charmed by the tiny sweets and details tucked into the bakery. I guess they weren’t bothered by that starving orphan at all.

Three cheers for the sweetest little bakery ever! Congratulations, Kerri!

2019 PEOPLE’S CHOICE PRIZE: SUSAN’S THE PRECIPICE

For the second year in a row, our 1st Place winner has also claimed the People’s Choice Prize. Susan has proven that committing one’s life completely to Ginger can really pay off. Way to go, Susan! I can’t wait to see what you get up to next year…

Congrats Susan and Kerri on your sweet victories!

Thank you to the members of the 2019 Ginger Panel, tasked with picking the winners from 21 glorious entries. Please keep your hands off my stuff, okay?

Thank you to me for answering emails that said stuff like: I can’t see my entry on your site with: that’s because the competition doesn’t start until next week, without murdering a single person.

And thank you to autocorrect for believing that when I type ‘gingering’ I really want to say: fingering. EVERY GODDAMNED TIME.

Maybe you find this time of year stressful, maybe you’re missing someone, or maybe things seem especially overwhelming right now. Know that every one of this year’s competitors — and every competitor since 2010 — was told they could withdraw from the competition if they were uncomfortable with being teased and tormented by yours truly. No one has ever taken me up on my offer. In fact, many return year after year for more of my shenanigans. I like to think it’s because Gingerers enjoy a good laugh as much as I do, but I’m confident they’re also happy to take a hit for those of you who might appreciate it these days. So thanks, Gingerers. Thanks to all of you for being such good sports, for letting me make fun of you, and for spreading a little laughter around these here parts. You done good.

Happy holidays, friends!

xox movita

LAN’S GINGER HAIKU

Lan writes:

deep in the heart of
a succulent jungle, a
cookie dwelling hides.

what yonder sight is
this that tempts my appetite? 
a Gingerbread House!

Fee Fi Fo Fum - i
smell the scent of an edi-
ble candy abode.

no verdant forest
can shield or protect this home
from a hangry foe.

The internet describes a haiku as: A Japanese verse form most often composed, in English versions, of three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables. A haiku often features an image, or a pair of images, meant to depict the essence of a specific moment in time.

So, yes, Lan is a nerd. But Lan is also providing a place we can turn to when the pain and horrors of this world become too much. The toasted architectural features, the subtle candy detailing, the isolated location. Do I imagine this perfect little abode has a beehive out back? That its tiny elf inhabitants are working to singlehandedly save the future of bees and in turn, humankind itself? Yes. Yes, I do. Do I believe the diminutive residents eat sustainably, conserve water, and protest the use of single-use plastics? Naturally. This tiny cabin could most definitely shelter us from a burning planet and the decline of Western Civilization. For these tiny homeowners aspire for more. We should all aspire for more!

That said, I would absolutely eat that house in one sitting with no remorse. I am one hangry mo-foe.

I leave you with these Ginger words of widsom, a ginspirational message if you will:

Any asshole can build a gingerbread house, but not just any asshole can write a HAIKU about that gingerbread house.

(You can follow Lan on Instagram here! Her feed is divine.)

JOEY’S GINGERBREAD FORTRESS

Joey writes:

Just kidding.

Sarah writes:

Joey’s entry…. (And yes he is STILL using Sarah’s email lol) This gingerbread fortress sits at the entry to ginger world to protect all of gingerkind. The fortress has its main building, surrounded by 4 towers to face off enemies from every angle. The ingredient list is short. It’s nothing more than gingerbread and royal icing with just a little food coloring added. 

Every year I pray that Joey will enter Ginger and that Joey will not submit his own entry and instead get Sarah to do it. It is one of my greatest holiday joys. And once again I am not disappointed.

This is one majestic entry, Joey Sarah Joey. One using the most classic form of gingering with the most traditional of ingredients. Look at the brick work! And the holiday decorations hanging below the windows! Imposing, noble, very, very tall. Too tall to fit in the photos!

What could be better than weaponized gingerbread? PEW PEW PEW! Watch out! Some dude is trying to shoot hot caramel right in your eye! Be careful crossing that ginger minefield because soldiers are using their candy firearms to shoot pellets of rock-hard royal icing into your soft, holiday belly! The moat is chock-full of shards of peppermint bark and once you make it through that you’ll face the dreaded candy bazooka.

“You’ll take this fortress from me over my cold, dead body!” a soldier cries from her perch on the keep.

“Sarah,” you wail after being hit with isomalt shrapnel. “Sarah, please,” you whisper more quietly, gasping for breath.

“Yes?” Sarah asks as she reaches for your hand.

“Email my family to tell them I love them. I asked Joey to do it bu–”

*sputters blood*

*end scene*

STEPHANIE R’S SANTA’S SUGAR SHACK

Stephanie writes:

Gonna try this again. I sent pics with nothing else. My bad. It’s the ginger stress.

I swear to God, Stephanie, I SWEAR TO GOD.

I skipped last year and I missed all the excitement. Big regret! This year I am sending my latest gingerbread creation I like to call Santa’s Sugar Shack. The shack is bigger than most of the shacks I’ve ever seen but, let’s not split hairs.

Fondant elves are busy (actually they all appear to be slackers goofing off in the snow and such) getting that candy ready for all the little kiddies. There is a well of gumdrops and a grist mill of bubblegum. 

If you, like me, are wondering what a grist mill is, allow me to get gingercational: a grist mill grinds grain into flour and middlings. The term can refer to the grinding mechanism and/or the building that holds it.

In other words, grist mills aren’t generally very interesting but bubblegum could definitely take grist mills to the next level. Imagine a mill that grinds candy! It would make it so much easier to get into your gut – no chewing required! Heck, you could just snort it.

I think I’d like a job there. I would prefer an indoor assignment maybe pulling taffy or taste testing. It looks too cold outside with all that snow. In fact, my husband said the snow angel elf looked like he was dead.

Ah, the loving support that only a husband can provide. “Hey, did you mean for your hair to come out that way or do you still need to wash it?”

Though actually… that elf does look a tad deceased. Do you think he got iced? Get it? Because when someone gets murdered you might say they were iced? And he’s, like, dead in the snow? GET IT, STEPHANIE?

This is the sort of gingering that I can really appreciate. The colours, the piping, the generous use of sweets. Let’s face it, all of those tiny details would be a MAJOR pain in the ass to make. This sugar shack is LADEN with sweets. This is the sort of gluttonous gingering that could make a kid puke all over your pillow in the middle of the night. A 4.7 million calorie delicacy! In fact… isn’t that an elbow in the second photo? I’m gunna bet the hand attached to that elbow ate the grist mill and two elves right after that shot was taken. Please confirm, Stephanie.

RON & TOBY’S CASA DE LA MAISON HAUS

Ron writes:

Attached the most recent effort from chez Dewar (also known as casa de la maison haus). I hope that this finds you well. I trust, also that you are fully caffeinated and that it is too early for the cooking sherry, so you can see the artistry expressed here by your devoted followers and ever-appreciative fans of gingering. 

I am ALWAYS fully caffeinated and it is never – NEVER – too early for cooking sherry.

Should I point out the highlights? Our village of eco-friendly houses sits atop a repurposed styrofoam base. Totally edible, as long as you have no regard for the workings of your innards. 

You know very well that I do not, sir.

Held together with gorilla glue, which is not really edible by vegans anyways (isn’t it made from gorillas, or something?) 

The endangered Tonkin snub-nosed monkey, actually.

Note the GreenRoof (patent applied for) on the left. Already a tree has sprouted thereon, and more greenery is expected, come the Spring rains (as long as the fondant base holds out). The jelly bean walks will likely get a bit slushy in the Spring, too, but for now they are very passible, if a little lumpy to walk on. The denizens of this ideal village are waiting for Bell to come and reconnect their fibre-op cables, since they were damaged in the last ice storm. The candy cane streetlight / internet poles are a little wonky, having been uprooted from the sytro base, also in the last storm. Hurricane Dorian has a lot to answer for, even in the ginger world. The stained glass windows (visible on the ‘gable cottage’ festooned with lights around the eaves) are made from melted gummies. We won’t try that one again, or at the very least, the microwave won’t be part of the glazing process. Once you’ve seen gummies boiling over in the microwave, you will understand why.

This village is a delight! The candy! So much candy! This is exactly what the people want! A ginger display that you can pillage every time you walk by the table. A candy cane here, a jellybean there, a downed power line just because.

Ron, Toby? You know who might really enjoy living in this village? HIPSTERS. Hipsters don’t require perfection – they’re happy to roll up their sleeves and gentrify any neighbourhood. Even one that has been half-destroyed by a hurricane! Hipsters won’t need internet and cable hookups – they can just use their overpriced smartphones and data plans. Why a group of noble hipsters in their non-mainstream fashion could roll right into this village bringing with them obscure music, a new Whole Foods, 14 microbreweries, and a Starbucks. And sure, your new neighbours – a barista and a part time dj – will leave vaguely pornographic “art” books on their coffee table for your kids to find, but Nova Scotia Power has made your village a Priority 1 District for future emergencies. Because no self-respecting power crew would ever let all that craft beer to go to waste.

STEPHANIE T’S PARSIMONIOUS CASTLE

Stephanie writes:

In years past, I’ve always hit the bulk barn and (heaven forbid) even the pricey Freak Lunchbox for the candy prettifications for my ginger productions… The price of which can really pile up! This year I tackled the project like a puritan. Dough, frosting and homemade coloured sugar make for a penny-pinching palace fit for a pauper.

Parsimonious [ˌpärsəˈmōnēəs ]  (is that supposed to help you pronounce it?)
ADJECTIVE: unwilling to spend money or use resources; stingy or frugal.

I hear ya, sister. I don’t want to sound like a cheapskate, but sweet fancy molasses! Baking is an expensive endeavour. Baking a few holiday treats for your family these days can easily set you back $734, and an entry for the competitive ginger circuit will probably set you back about as much as a BMW would. “Sure, I can’t afford my prescription drugs,” you’ll say, “but this gingerbread house was totally worth it!”

Thankfully, Stephanie knows better than to get involved with loan sharks for the sake of gingering. This is the sort of gingerbread castle that your grandma would actually recognize as gingerbread. The pastel colour scheme is rocking my world, and the notion that I can identify AND eat all of its elements is very refreshing. The snowy turrets are enchanting! This low-cost, budget-friendly, half-priced, tight-wad entry is just the sort of thing those of you living your lives under the weight of crippling debt might need to see. SNAP OUT OF IT, PEOPLE! Jump on the parsimonious bandwagon!

Help determine the winner of the 2019 People’s Choice Prize:

CAST YOUR VOTE BELOW!

Repeat voters are blocked by cookie.
Polls close at about 8 AM AST, Monday, December 23, 2019.

SARAH’S HOT AIR BALLOONS

Sarah writes:

Hot air balloon rides with santa. The 3 balloons are ready to soar up up and away! Santa in one balloon, a basket full of gifts in another, and a third, just for you! The baskets are made with rice paper, gingerbread flour, royal icing and gelatin. The baskets are gingerbread and Santa is pastillage, with a cloak made of edible fabric. The “ropes” around the balloons are made from ramen noodles. 

Sarah, there is no freakin’ way I’m getting into that hot air balloon. First off, this operation seems a little soft on safety. Who’s flying the basket of gifts? And who’s going to help me fly MY goddamned hot air balloon? Why has Santa fired the reindeer and is there any chance they are going to shoot us down in some sort of revenge-inspired rampage? And what’s to stop us from floating right up into space? These balloons are constructed with RICE PAPER! That can’t be very heavy!

Now, dear reader, I want you think about your own gingerskills. Can you imagine making a hot air balloon (or three) out of baked goods? Back up. Can you imagine baking anything? (I know my base.) Just look at the little baskets! And the delicate ropes holding them in place! Have you ever touched a dry ramen noodle? How one can make ropes from them is beyond me. And Santa. Sweet, slightly haunting, definitely not concerned with flight safety Santa. You are my favourite.

Sarah, this is one of those how-did-you-do-that entries that makes everyone jealous and envious of you which, let’s face it, is what the holidays are really about.

(You can keep up with Sarah on Facebook by clicking here!)

CHLOE’S CONSERVATORY

Chloe writes:

Hi! Here is my gingerbread version of the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts! Fun fact: I spent most of my life in this building it’s got everything, right down to the stained glass window! Also in case you forgot my name is Chloe!

How could I forget you, Chloe? You’ve made me laugh many, many, many times. I, too, spent many years in this building and cannot believe that you have managed to capture its essence in gingerbread. Look at the windows! Oh, that delightful stained glass window! The snowy roof that hasn’t blown off in a storm! The peaks, the brickwork, the charming front doors! It is just so lovely to see the Conservatory as it is in my heart: edible.

If you live in Halifax you know that the Conservatory has been going through some… stuff. And that stuff is: GHOSTS. Most folk around here agree that this infestation can be traced back to 1917 when the building’s basement was used as a morgue during the Halifax Explosion.

Some Conservatory ghosts are very nice. These are the ghosts that slip into studios and delight in the music and dance that fill the senses. These are the ghosts that close doors before toddlers can run out to the busy parking lot, that cheer when a dancer gets her first triple pirouette, that squeal when they see a teeny-tiny violin in the hands of a pint-sized human.

Some Conservatory ghosts are jerks. These are the ghosts of selfish men, the souls of the self-important. Scrooges, if you will. They’ve been a big problem in recent years. These are the nincompoops that will play single notes on pianos in dark corners, slam windows shut during concerts, make the elevator break down during a senior’s event. These are the ghosts that everyone wishes would just go away.

And then there are the very best of the ghosts. These are still-living souls like Chloe. They hold the Conservatory in their sticky embrace even after they grow up and go on to live adult lives. They construct Ginger tributes. They visit old teachers. They will – I hope – shove me into a nursing home when I’m too old to put on pants by myself. (I DON’T HAVE CHILDREN CHLOE HELP A LADY OUT.) These are my most favourite ghosts.

Of course, the Conservatory mice could eat that gingerbread replica in ten minutes flat. Just sayin’.

BEVERLY’S THE WATCHER

Beverly writes:

The Watcher is made from approximately 80 cookies, gingerclay, Ginger rice krispies. His birds and bugs are made with ginger clay and marshmallows and fondant. His eyes are made of isomalt (man is that stuff hot I have scars to prove it). He weighs about 40 lbs. My favorite part to make was the fly on his corn cob pipe. He took about two months to complete.

Beverly is one of those competitors who returns year after year and talks about her ginger creations like they are no big deal. “What, this old thing? Oh, this is just a 40 lb. feat of gingering I whipped up over a few months.”

DEAR GOD, WOMAN!

I must say, Beverly, the fly is one of my favourite things about your entry too. But there are so many details to love! The corn pipe is equally charming, and the halo of leaves at the top of the tree would make any hairstylist green with envy. The tree bark and vines! The adorable creatures peeking out from every corner! The haunting expressions of both the tree and owl that were enough to make me lose several hours of sleep this week. The bird sitting on top of the tree! The rocks! THE ROCKS! They look so real!

*whispers* The owl is still staring at me, isn’t he?

*slowly backs out of room*

BARB & FAMILY’S AMERICAN GINJA WARRIOR

Barb writes:

My entry was inspired by one of our favorite sports entertainment shows, American Ninja Warrior.

“Welcome! I’m your host G, accompanied by camera-gal B, and we’re excited to bring you preliminary warm-ups at the 2019 holiday obstacle course! At the start, California B is sprinting across the Santa Steps, while daddy M is careening through Candy Cane Crossing, cheered by his wife L and new daughter. OH NO! Gingy has suffered a tragic fall on the Cinnamon Ladder and the fans are shocked! Meanwhile, our pretty-in-pink ginja-gal is tackling The North Pole and warrior N is wrapping it up on The Wrapped Wall. Early results predict Bear will be victorious, as he celebrates from the top of Mt. Merry Christmas! It’s going to be an exciting competition, so don’t miss the finale of – AMERICAN. GINJA. WARRIOR!” (cut to holiday commercial …)

2.0 and I don’t generally watch American Ninja Warrior because we don’t like watching fit people do fit stuff while we eat Doritos on the couch. We’re bigger fans of shows like Wipeout because… well, because of THIS. American Ninja Warrior could definitely use a Smack Wall or two.

Now, a show we could REALLY get on board with is American Ginja Warrior! First off, you could EAT the course. I can’t do even 20 minutes of exercise without a snack. Second, LOOK AT IT. It’s a candy-studded masterpiece! So many teeny-tiny details! The perfectly piped lettering, the expressions on the competitors faces! Any competitor would be lucky to fall into that sticky sweet water – I’d just float there and drink it until I got the sugar-shakes.

This is the sort of gingering that children dream of. A feast for the eyes and the breadbasket! (Tummy. That means tummy.)

(You can keep up with Barb & Family’s ginger activities via their Pinterest scrapbook by clicking here!)

CHERYL B’S CHEVY CLASSIC

Cheryl writes:

A vintage Christmas. This 1950s Chevy inspired classic red pick up with a fresh cut tree!

Every year, people. Every year someone submits a professionally crafted gingerwhatever with the most minimal message ever. Like: here ya go, no biggie. This bad boy requires only 16 words of introduction.

Look at that truck! I can’t even imagine shaping the pieces let alone covering everything with flawless sugary detailing! The tiny license plate! The monogramming on the door! The wheels, the grill, the headlights! Uh, did you notice the dog’s expression? IT HAS AN EXPRESSION PEOPLE.

So, in cases like this – cases of the low-key submission – I like to imagine a bunch of stuff about the creator. Who is Cheryl? Who is this ginger genius? Who is this woman who felt absolutely no need to brag about her incredible entry?

Well, she probably has a crapload of money. Antique car shows on the weekend money. Exclusive poker game money. We’re talking CHEESE CLUB money. Cheryl probably hosts fabulous Christmas parties in her stately home every year. Her posh neighbours really appreciate the finer things in life – like perfectly crafted ginger trucks – so she makes an incredible ginger display every year for her guests. I mean, look at that thing! What neighbour wouldn’t want to admire that sort of ginger perfection? Good neighbours like Cheryl even make dogs that look exactly like the one that lives across the street! (Pete. He poops on her lawn, but Cheryl just laughs it off.)

By the way, I assume Cheryl has a drawer full of kitchen utensils designed specifically for only one purpose – an avocado slicer, pizza scissors, and a panini spatula. CHEESE CLUB MONEY.

Help determine the winner of the 2019 People’s Choice Prize:

CAST YOUR VOTE BELOW!

Repeat voters are blocked by cookie.
Polls close at about 8 AM AST, Monday, December 23, 2019.

DESI’S GINGER LIBRARY

Desi writes:

Every year I like to take on a new gingerbread task, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. My entry is a gingerbread rendition of the public library that my husband works at. It’s not perfect, but it did clearly look like the building it was modeled after. I assure you it tasted much better than the real one, too. Yes, it has sugar glass windows and I did put lights inside it to make it pretty. No, we didn’t eat the lights, we didn’t even try. Huh. Maybe next… No, that’s a bad idea.

Wish I had been there to witness the tasting of the real library, Desi. This ginger gem, on the other hand, looks very lickable. So much royal icing! Very important for tastiness. So many snowy icicles to munch on! The perfect little windows, the jolly piping on the rooflines, the delightful use of colour! Classic gingering fit for a holiday table.

You know who I bet would really like this library? Boomers. I bet they’d just love that you can flip the pages of a “real book” in this sugary sweet building. No computer iBooks here! A Boomer will tell you it’s tough for people to steal your identity when you sit at a library table to pay your bills with cheques that you can send in the mail. And what kind of Boomer wouldn’t love meeting other Boomers in the gardening section for a delightful discussion about those lazy, entitled Millennials who are killing the golf industry?

“By the way,” a Boomer might whisper to you by the local authors shelf, “Ruth’s son is addicted to painkillers but please don’t write it on your Facebooks or tell her that I told you this.”

And don’t bother asking a Boomer if they’d like to join you for sushi after the library-hosted Learn to Use Your Smartphone event. “No, thanks!” Richard will tell you, “I like my food cooked.”

RACHEL’S GINGER CHURCH

Rachel writes:

My name is Rachel and this is my gingerbread church. I’m 17 and made it from scratch. I took a template from the internet and used my high school math skills to enlarge it. 

I’ve been telling kids you don’t need math for about 30 years now. Is it possible that I was wrong? #justkidding #mathisforderks

I used all the best Pinterest techniques I could find. Jolly Rancher stained glass windows, Andes mint roof tiles, pretzel stick siding, and a cross molded from chocolate chips. Inside is a pretzel wood floor and rice crispy treat fireplace (not shown because that would be 3 pics). I used some fondant, life savers, spice drops and Pepe Snowmen for decorations. 

My birthday is in December and we have a tradition of making gingerbread houses (from a kit) almost every year since I was 4. This is the first year I made one from scratch and it was fun to be creative and festive. 

I know what you’re thinking: how is this possible? What kind of Gen Z kid knows about gingerbread? She’s supposed to be curating her Instagram photos in order to optimize likes-per-photo ratio. Kids of her generation have short attention spans, are addicted to technology, can’t handle face-to-face interaction, and are usually hanging out in gangs fighting for social justice and solutions to the global climate crisis that we’ve all dropped in their laps.

Look at that church! Rachel, this ginger building is a beauty! The windows look good enough to eat, the pretzel details are charming, the candy detailing is begging to be devoured, the confection pond is a delight, and the tiny reindeer are… dead?

Rachel? What happened? What? They’re taking a flat-lay selfie? Of course they are.

ANNETTE’S SPECIAL ORDER FARMHOUSE

Annette writes:

I found this design for a Victorian Farmhouse in the book Gingerbread Architect by Susan Matheson and Lauren Chattman. It looked straightforward enough, though I discovered that they don’t give you all the dimensions in the template so I had to add a piece here and sand off a piece there in the end to make it work. 

I think we should all get in touch with the authors of that book and DEMAND dimensions. What the hell? Sometimes I think people WANT us to fail.

The roof shingles are Hubba Bubba gum tape which worked great, but I had to go to 8 places to find enough in blue – most stores just stock pink, and who wants a pink roof? The purple Twizzlers around the windows were totally unavailable in my area so I had to order three times what I needed from Amazon just to get them. Yes, when I commit I can get obsessed. But I love doing it!

First off, I’d like to say that this is one of the tastiest looking entries of this year’s competition. Have you ever tried to eat gum paste? It’ll break your teeth. What about fondant covered in layers of painted-on food colouring? Bleck. Ginger competitors often say their entries are ‘entirely edible’ but damn gurl! Who’d want to?

“Oh, let me eat that ramen noodle shrub covered in food colouring,” said no one ever.

This farmhouse, on the other hand, begs for chomping. Hubba Bubba tape? YES, PLEASE! Special order Twizzlers? Don’t mind if I do. A ride on that adorable teeny-tiny sled? Sure! As long as none of the diseased orphans in the neighbourhood have touched it. So much colour, so many tasty treats! Too bad the residents of this house will probably die of smallpox, measles, diphtheria, or dysentery before age 40.

Whatever! Hand me a sour belt!

THE GINGERBUILDER’S IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS

Megan, Erin, and Stephanie (aka the Gingerbuilders) are back! Megan writes:

On a dry winter day, we let the men care for the kids and dogs and came together to build our annual Christmas Gingerbread House. Our house came together as it usually does, half by plan and half by fortune. There was laughter, cheese, tears, and 5 bottles of wine (allegedly).

After one glass of wine I would not be capable of constructing anything other than a house of lies.

This house was inspired by a historical neighborhood in a nearby town. Erin acted as our very own Google Earth photographer and Stephanie drew up the plans.

We tried out some new window dressings. There’s a sweet little Cardinal on the porch roof. You can even see rain boots left out as if someone were waiting on a husband to actually put them away himself.

Whoever lives in the house doesn’t finish the lights because someone wanted to go watch the next episode of The Madelorian. I’m sure he’ll finish the lights right after he puts the boots away.

This ginger creation is an eerily accurate depiction of my life with 2.0. Of course, so is this:

Isn’t Christmas just grand when you’ve spent hour upon hour of your free time making everything perfect just so your spouse can come home and leave their dirty workboots on the Christmas mat? And why put the lights up in one go? You’ll get to it. Leave the ladder propped up against the house so raccoons can use it to gain access to your attic. Company’s coming on December 24, but your beloved will just be getting started with Christmas shopping, so you’ll have to entertain the in-laws on your own for a few hours. Did I mention that your mother-in-law’s diet is now gluten, nut, dairy, AND sugar-free?

Still, things aren’t all bad. Just look at that ginger paradise adorned with fresh cut boughs. The perfect roof! The delightful windows dressed with intricate lace and candles! The logs, the cardinal, the everything! You can always climb up that ladder and nap with the raccoons…

(You can follow the Gingerbuilders on Instagram by clicking here!)

KERRI’S BAKERY

Kerri writes:

This years Ginger Creation I made my dream bakery! “Kerri’s Bakery” sits on a cozy corner street, backed with trees, and is a quiet place to go for a delightful treat! Inside Kerri’s Bakery you will find fancy display shelves full of pies, cookies, cupcakes, pastries, donuts and elegant cakes. In the next room over there is a brick fire oven where all the desserts are baked. In front of the fireplace sits a work table with a bowl and flour, a rolling pin and a Gingerbread house in the making.

THE. DETAILS. I’ve spent 4.7 million hours looking through those windows at those perfect little confections. The teeny-tiny gingerbread house is my favourite. The piping on this bakery is impeccable!

Peering into the window from outside is a little boy with his dog, checking out the sweets….wondering how tasty that Gingerbread house would be!

Nothing, and I mean nothing, says the holidays like a homeless, presumably diseased orphan standing outside your bakery window in the freezing cold. I bet his breath is melting that gelatine window. That poor child is dragging a sled full of gifts and greenery for some rich people up the street. He’s walking their dog because they simply don’t have time to. He’s been asked to pick up some treats at Kerri’s Bakery but he won’t be allowed to eat any. “We’ve given you exactly enough money for a baker’s dozen,” they tell him. “One for each of our 12 guests and one for the dog!”

The entire Bakery is edible. All made out of Gingerbread, icing, gumpaste, fancy designed chocolate flooring and some candies. 

Okay, people, let’s all start using the phrase “fancy designed” for everything we do.

CHERYL & SARAH’S LEWIS & CLARK BOAT HOUSE & MUSEUM (that’s a lot of &s)

Cheryl writes:

Our somewhat accurate replica of the Lewis & Clark Boat House and Museum was built for the 250 year celebration of St. Charles, MO. My friend Sarah and I had talked about entering the local St. Charles contest last December and we made it happen. It is our first ever gingerbread house although we both love to bake and have done so for many years. 

Who enters their first ever gingerbread house in a contest? Cheryl and Sarah, that’s who. Look at that thing! The green roof begs to be chomped upon, the adorable wreaths could be swallowed in one bite. The jellybean walkway, the charming greenery, the generous application of tasty royal icing!

It measures 17”x17”x22”. We used Isomalt for the windows but had a huge disaster when the large back window got cloudy, hiding the Christmas tree behind it. Google failed us for a reason so a fix so any insight would be welcomed. We used our favorite childhood candies including sour apple strips for the roof, snow caps and candy cigarettes (we were those kind of kids). Sarah even sculpted the dog statue “Seaman” from gum paste. 

We learned that even with the best planning, a Dremel and grater are necessary tools and never throw away unused dough cause you’ll have to rebake something that doesn’t fit. Mostly we just had fun. 3 Saturdays of talking, laughing, sugar and a few drinks. We hope to make this a yearly tradition. 

This creation is a Silent Generation’s dream come true. Not familiar? Members of the Silent Generation were born in 1945 or earlier, and honestly? Not that silent. This is the generation that would actually know who Lewis & Clark are! And they’d NEVER waste dough. They would appreciate every detail of this building. Not like the buildings of today. No, THIS building has character! History! Ever hear of that, sonny? It was built with a little thing we like to call work ethic! Work ethic, a stiff drink, and a Dremel. And we wouldn’t walk around taking a hundred pictures of ourselves in front of the museum with our hand computers. Wait, what did you say that dog’s name was? WHY ARE YOU SNICKERING?

Help determine the winner of the 2019 People’s Choice Prize:

CAST YOUR VOTE BELOW!

Repeat voters are blocked by cookie.
Polls close at about 8 AM AST, Monday, December 23, 2019.

AMANDA’S MASSIE HERITAGE CENTER

Amanda writes:

Every year I create a gingerbread house (building) influenced by Savannah, it goes on display at the Massie Heritage Center. This year I had the brilliant idea to create the Massie. A lot of thought (swearing) went into this piece because I had the great idea to shorten everything by 1/8” except two walls. 

Uh-oh, I know foreshadowing when I read it. And on a gingercational note: the actual, non-ginger Massie Heritage Center is a Greek Revival schoolhouse. People can visit the centre to see what school was like in the 1800s. And I’m gunna bet that none of the teachers at Massie would have recommended leaving two walls a different length than the others.

I wonder if Amanda ever finds herself in a shoe store saying, “What? You can’t find the mate for this? Okay, I’ll just take the left boot in a 1/2 size too big.”

After sanding, filing and sawing the hard-tac like walls I was finally able to get it together. Several burns from hot sugar, patience and prayers held it together. I did try to make it pretty by using gingerbread paste (my piping skills are horrendous) and molding chocolate. The bricks and sidewalks are gum paste, colored with food coloring. The bushes are gingerbread covered in oregano. The windows are rice paper (think spring rolls wraps) and the flags are also spring roll wraps with food coloring adhered to spaghetti. The railing was also spaghetti painted with food coloring.  It survived transport (2 construction zones and some god awful railroad tracks). It is on display for all to see. Next year I am going to take it down a notch (simple, won’t throw your back out when you lift it).

Look at that ginger masterpiece! An impressive structure – sturdy and probably held together by tears. Any baker who has transported a sugary creation knows just how perilous construction zones and railway tracks are. #gingersweats

When I think of Savannah I think of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and I imagine people walking around in tuxedos saying stuff like, “Hey, who killed that prostitute?”

Can any of you Americans let me know if this is an accurate assumption? Amanda? Does this happen often in Savannah?

I actually like Ginger Massie more than real Massie. Ginger Massie has deep, molasses colouring and a lovely texture. Ginger Massie has character – the red roof, the perfect little flags, the oregano shrubbery! Ginger Massie has two walls that are (possibly) longer than the others!

This ginger jewel makes me want to fly down to Savannah, scarf down some fried green tomatoes and then munch on some molding chocolate from Ginger Massie. Of course, then I’d pass out on the gum paste sidewalk and a passing tourist would snap a photo of me and holler, “Hey! Who killed this prostitute?”

SHARON’S FIREHOUSE

Sharon writes:

This is my Gingerbread piece for 2019. It is a replica of an old firehouse I took a picture of back in the summer while visiting Canada. The original sits on the corner of John St and Broadway in Orangeville, Ontario. I took it back in time and added the horse drawn fire truck at the ready. 

When Sharon’s entry landed in my inbox I emailed her to say, “I can’t believe you took a picture and then thought: hey, I’ll just build this out of gingerbread.”

Then Ginger competitor Sarah – Sharon’s daughter – wrote me to say:

*Technically* she saw a building, thought “I can build this out of gingerbread,” THEN took the picture. Very different process.

Good grief! Know what I think when I see an old building? I wonder how many people died there…

According to the internets: this Old Fire Hall was constructed by the town to replace the former fire hall after it was destroyed by fire. A fire that was deliberately set. TWICE. The first attempt to take the (wooden) firehouse down was in the spring of 1890 – smoke was seen coming from the hall and the flames were extinguished before any real damage was done. Then two weeks later the arsonist was all: BE BEST! And “coal oil was spread around the base of the hall’s bell tower and set ablaze. Within minutes, the entire building was engulfed in flames.”

Which is why the new firehall was built out of bricks.

I can’t think of a single arsonist that would want to burn Sharon’s firehouse down. First off, it would be a very sticky situation. Second, horses bite.

Holy smoke! Take a look at that masterpiece! Adorable bricks which I assume took 4.7 million hours to craft. Delightful wreaths! Impeccable little windows and doors! Classic, old-timey feel complimented by picture-perfect landscaping. This entry brings the heat! Burning question, Sharon: will you take the time to enjoy your 15 minutes of flame?

VANDA’S CHURCH

Vanda writes:

Built with individual baked ginger “bricks.” Is a scaled down version of a church here in St Louis MO. Little things that represent me. Bridal party for my side job. Little bird for favorite Christmas song. And clock set to the approximate time I done working everyday.

Okay, the first thing I’d like to say is: HOLY CRAP. The second thing I’d like to say/ask is: how scaled down is this creation? Because it looks to be actual church-sized.

Vanda, I’m not gunna lie: I’m a little confused about your side job. Your written details aren’t particularly detailed. Just. Little. Nuggets. Are you hiring yourself out as a bridesmaid for people who don’t have friends or have disowned their families? Do you throw bridal showers for people who hate the idea of planning bridal parties as much as I do?

This possibly-not-very-scaled-down church is a ginger-architectural feat! It’s so big! And SHINY! I bet eating it would be a religious experience (and not just because it would probably break your teeth). The figurines look like something out of a children’s holiday movie, the detailing is heavenly, and the majesty of the whole thing is truly ginspirational.

Let us pray: Eternal Gingerbread Spirit, ruler in the Ginger heavens, I come to you in my time of hunger. Guide my soul so I may feed others. Exalt me with your eternal flavour.

SUSAN’S THE PRECIPICE

Susan writes:

You’re kind of scary, so I’m hoping to get all of the information you need correct! 

GODDAMMIT, SUSAN.

My creation is pretty much all gingerbread: siding, internal supports, stones in stream and around porch. The boulders are ginger clay. The people are gumpaste. Windows and stream are isomalt. Bushes are dehydrated broccoli. Porch is spaghetti, gingerbread and gumpaste.  Shingles are ginger clay. The entire piece is 100% edible (except for the board it sits on).

I love entries like this. “Hey movita, all I used was some butter, sugar, flour, molasses, baking powder, dried-up broccoli and spaghetti. You know, just your usual dessert ingredients.”

I don’t really have a creative process! The house is based off of the painting Precipice by Daniel Merriam. Go ahead and say it “I have no life outside of gingerbread”!

Susan, you have no life outside of gingerbread.

Let’s get gingercational! According to the internets, Daniel Merriam “is a ‘fantastical’ painter” which I assume refers to the fact that he is very handsome and most of us believe attractive artists are only a fantasy.

Ah, what a perfect life we would have, Daniel and I, in our gingerhouse perched on that precipice. Nothing adds excitement to a relationship like a house that could at any time collapse into the cliff it straddles. We’d drink our morning coffee on the wraparound porch as we watch people walking by, pointing at the perfect wrought-iron rails on our roof, our adorable window boxes, the exquisite attention to detailing thanks to our dedicated ginger architect, Susan.

And then those goddamn tourists would make themselves at home on our lawn, resting on our candy rocks, dipping their toes in our sugary stream.

“What the hell?” I’d say. “Do these people think our property has been constructed their personal enjoyment?”

“Don’t worry,” my darling Daniel would reply, “I’ll send the cat out to eat their hair.”

PAT’S JUSTICE SO SWEET

Pat writes:

OK, you asked for it so here it is. This is probably the best gingerbread house you’ll ever see in your life. Sorry, my modesty is at the cleaners. It’s one house, two sides. I know you‘ll want to see more detailed photos but you said only two and I stick to the rules.

Next year I’m going to make a rule about bragging.

Hanzel and Gretel were off delivering packages for Amazon so in their absence Child Welfare, the Tax Collector, and Code enforcement along with the Grim Reaper paid a visit to the witch to serve her justice so sweet. The Grim Reaper doesn’t show in this photo so if you want to see him you’ll have to beg. And even then I’ll have to think about it but I’ll probably relent. I like to show him off. He likes to show off.

… my entry is 100% completely edible. There’s no hot glue, no toothpicks, no chopsticks, no balsa wood, no cardboard. Ok surely you get it now. Also, please note that I do not put two spaces after a sentence.

This entry is like two entries in one! The light side and the dark side. The good side and the evil side. The sugary sweet side (Instagram) and the reality (the 423 shots you took before you got one good enough to put on Instagram).

Look at that ginger beast! This is the sort of gingering that could keep a roomful of annoying children busy for hours. So much to look at! So much to rub your dirty, germ-ridden fingers over! The contrast between the two sides is incredible. The details! The lollipop garden, the perfectly adorned roof, the cage, the caldron!

Can’t you just hear the cries of the witch as she is (probably) taken away. “Lock her up!” the neighbours will shout. And the witch will gesture her disgusting fingers wildly in the air and shout, “I’ve been doing a tremendous job! Hanzel and Gretel are fine. They LIKE their cage! They don’t miss their parents at all! I DID NOTHING WRONG! You’ve been after me for three years now. It’s a terrible thing. A hoax! Fake news! Sad. ATROCIOUS LIES! A witch hunt! Make Ginger great again! Make Ginger great again!” 

Help determine the winner of the 2019 People’s Choice Prize:

CAST YOUR VOTE BELOW!

Repeat voters are blocked by cookie.
Polls close at about 8 AM AST, Monday, December 23, 2019.