Pictures! Pictures! Pictures!

So, maybe we have a lot of responsibilities and there are always chores to be done, but squeezing in some fun is practically mandatory at this time of year. We made a quick visit to the outlet mall to see the tree that is 87' tall; taller than the baby tree at the White House, and the shrub at Rockefeller Center. The white pine came from Mt. Shasta.

It is bright and colorful, and smells wonderful.


This year we shared our family gingerbread home building tradition with Adam, Anne and Jacob, and Mike and Ian. They came last night and we assembled gingerbread houses together. Some people foolishly adhere to strict building codes, and use only royal frosting for construction; we figured out, years ago, that hot glue is the obvious choice> for speed and stability.


Anne, seen here, expertly using her glue gun, had excellent help from her son Adam. After the walls are up and the roof is in place, comes decorating.


Jacob played music for us as we applied hard candies, wrapped and unwrapped Kisses, peppermint sticks and chocolate rocks.


Adam, Anne and Jacob are seen here, preparing their home for snow drifts.


Mike and his son, Ian, made good use of the candy bricks for chimneys and a dragon lantern (Adam is seen peeking between the father and son team.) Each house is unique and representative of our extraordinary designs, themes and creativity.

Max even thoughtup a new landscaping concept:

A palm tree!


And best of all, we had a whole lot of fun in the company of good friends.


Habitat for Candy: A dazzling design by Adam, Jacob and Anne.


Nice With Spice: A contemporary dream home built by Ian and Mike.


Wintery Paradise: A frosty wonderland put together by Max, Alex, William and Geoff.