Normal and Not So Normal Gingerbread Houses....

This weekend I drove to Tri Cities for a Christmas party of friends from Northwest University. We've been having this Christmas party since we graduated almost 9 years ago...some people come and go, but there is a core of people that are at almost every Christmas party; however, this year we did lose a few because of the conditions on Snoqualmie Pass.

One of our traditions is a gingerbread house making contest. And every year it get crazier and crazier. Our main rule is that all parts of the house have to be edible...and some of our friends take that rule to the extreme...as you will see further on!

I have to tell you now that some of these award titles changed throughout the evening as more thought was given to the story behind it and more discussion ensued.

This house was made by the team of Ismo, Christina (our hosts each year) and myself.

Can you guess what it is?

Does this picture help at all?

Could it be Starbucks? Yep!!! Yet, not just any Starbucks but a Starbucks in Narnia as those are talking bears going through the Drive Thru...and those bears in the corner? They are skipping school and making out behind Starbucks!

We won the title: "Best Corporate Gingerbread House!"

Does the green roof of this house give it away? This house was built by husband and wife team...Justin and Kristy.

Well, this picture should give it away! Justin decided that he doesnt' spend enough time Monday thru Friday at work (yes, he works for John Deere) so he needed to make a matching gingerbread house.

This team won the title: "Best Retail Gingerbread House!"

Here is the front view of the next house made by husband and wife team Ty and LeeAnn...any guesses? Who might that be looking out the window...maybe the next picture will help you!

Does the front/side view of this house help?

If I told you it was built in a swamp, would that help?

Yep, you got it...this is Shrek and Fiona's house....all those small green marshmellows (they look white here) are baby ogres (they've had a few more since the last movie)...Shrek is taking a bath...Fiona was peeking out the window and those lights you see actually lit up!

This team won the title: "Best Disney Adaption to a Gingerbread House!"

This picture is just a tiny bit of the overall gingerbread house...got any ideas?

It is Bob's Texaco gas station made by the team of Cecelia and Levi. Cecelia handcrafted the car and the Texaco sign out of rice krispy treats and fruit roll ups. There are spare tires, gas pumps, a garage (with moveable doors) and a truck. They spent a LOT of time on this masterpiece and didn't feel as if they were complete even when they said they were finished! I guess perfection is never finished!

Cecelia and Levi won the titles: "Best Detail Orientated Gingerbread House and Best Overall Gingerbread House."

These next two house are when we get to the "Not so Normal" gingerbread houses....you'll understand once you see the pictures....

Exhibit A is a gingerbread house (and I use that term loosely) rendition from Lord of the Rings. You have a tower, and someone up there on top of the tower...then you have a forest and some type of creature that works in or around the forest and tower (they told us, but not being a LOTR fanatic it was all jibberish to me!)

The little red dude started out as one characted and then I believe changed to Gandalf, but then I could be wrong.

This team of Steve and Dan D. won the title of: "Best Lord of the Rings Gingerbread House" (or something similar.

Which brings us to our last "house"...house is a term I wouldn't really use since Dan O., Jaime and Clayton had three kits between them and barely used the pieces of one kit. We are negotiations about the rules and the possible requirement that your house be a more integral part of the piece.

Again, we have a LOTR theme (strange that two teams decided to base their house off LOTR!!!)

This is another rendition of the tower with a huge eye that shoots lasers out on unsuspecting Santas that enter the Lilliputian land of Lord of the Rings.

The concept was actually quite neat...their mountain is made of popcorn, caramel and marshmalllows....until Dan O. got ahold of a can of Ragu spaghetti sauce to use as lava! Last year he used chilli...ugh!

I honestly don't remember what this teams official award was. Something like: "Best Structural Tower in a Gingerbread House."

I think they would have won more accolades if the smell of the acidic ragu wasn't so bad and if it wasn't melting the marshmellow/caramel mountain!

Question for you: Do you and your family make gingerbread houses? Do you participat in a Gingerbread house making contest? If so, tell me about it!