Yearly Sugaring of the Gramerlings

The Gingerbread Party, has for years, fallen very early in December, since I have it the first Saturday.    It always made sense to me to stick to the same day- easier for folks to remember, for me to remember and it is technically there till I say, "No more, " I guess.  

Yesterday was the latest it has been since the first was on a Sunday.  

Aunt Tish retired, so I had help making the houses.  She even brought supper, which was a blessing. I find that after a week in Second Grade, I have, oh, zero energy or enthusiasm for anything really. The Handy Man moved and mopped and wiped and Missy Bugg came early to help me prepare.  

At 9:30 on the dot, the biscuits came out of the oven, the gravy was done, the sausage brown, the cocoa warm and chocolatey,  and hash browns hot and ready. 

Let the candy fly!

 It comes in a stage of little boy development, the desire for a much bigger house.  This was Giddy-up's year to make the request.  I've only missed having the party once in these thirty plus years.  I woke up with extreme vertigo, about, oh maybe 15 years or so ago.  Once you've made these houses, they are like concrete, and since they were made, I just saved them for Granny Wandy's Christmas Eve. In addition, we made a huge house, so everyone could participate in the decorating.  I ended up doing that several times and Mom loved having a house everyone had helped with.

While I have Playdate Sundays, there are always many missing due to having multiple kids having multiple commitments.  So, when they all do get to come to something it is like a little reunion.  

They might not all be together again till summer.

 And this guy, oh my.  I told him once he'd never get a "Free from Gingerbread Party" pass and he has taken that seriously, which I very much appreciate.

There he is, about three in his red shirt.

You'll notice perhaps that the two oldest Gramerlings are absent.  Always sad to me, even though I surely know that growing up drill by now.  

I have routinely had 15 to 24 children all these many years.  I think today, while I'm waiting at the hospital for Noella's baby to arrive, that I will attempt to count how many kids I remember, how many houses.  I'm thankful I've been able to continue this tradition.  I am more cognizant of sharing stories from Christmases past, as so many who remember Christmases past are gone.  

This year we talked about Brach's Arabian Night candy. Those tiny multi-colored gems you used to find on an end counter in every store you went in and were a gingerbread house making staple. Now, all the grown-ups search and this year Tish found a bag, though not Brach's.  We talked about angel hair and lights and how there were limited choices, something  that has never existed in the lives of these children. 

It was a fun time.

It turned out that the best day for our annual trek to the movie was also on party day, so we headed to see Frozen 11. It was cute enough, but I don't think there is a song that will attach itself to the world the way "Let it Go" did.   

So today is brunch with the siblings, then the hospital with Noella, and then home to try to work up my nerve to make more icing and more houses for my second graders.  They will love it.  Me, ummm, well I will love that they will love it!