A retired UT Extension agent has been building on one holiday tradition since the 1970s and the popularity keeps growing.
Drucilla Ray recently taught a Gingerbread House class in Granville. She started the work in the 1970s, in her school home demonstration club. Ray said when she started teaching for University of Tennessee, her target classes were kindergarten through fourth grade students. Today, many adults and families enjoy the tradition.
“I would ask them would you like to learn to make a gingerbread house, and, of course, they would get excited and we taught them the skills,” Ray said. “Most of the time I would have the crackers cut out for them in the shape of a little point there. And I’d give them permission to nibble on there candy along the way.”
Ray said gingerbread house making is fun for kids, teaching them a skill they can take creative ownership of. Ray said adults asked her to teach the class, teaching many adults to build a gingerbread house for the first time in their lives.
“These students got very creative with their houses,” Ray said. “They wanted to create like, one of them created a manger scene, and they used the little crackers to cut out and do their little animals. Then one of them made the, she had chickens at home, so she made little gram cracker chickens.”
Ray said families will often place confectioneries to mimic objects, such as people or house decorations. Ray said she places a life saver on the gingerbread house door, acting as a wreath. Many participants use gummy bears as people in the surrounding area.
“And they all want to put gumdrops on top,” Ray said. “And I said, well let’s put the gumdrops in the yard to make little landscaping for them, you know.”
Ray said it is not too difficult to make gingerbread house. Ray said the difficult part of the houses is getting the icing to stay firm. Ray said when beginning to set the roof, most participants want to layer it in candy. Layering the roof in candy can jeopardize the integrity of the structure, causing it to collapse.