My Love For Gingerbread

I've always loved gingerbread. My grandfather would bake the most delicious gingerbread cake during the Christmas season. As a child, our art teacher would have us cut-out and decorate gingerbread boy and girl figures. I was always fascinated with the elaborately decorated gingerbread house in the story of Hansel & Gretel (the witch, not so much HaHaHa). Although I've never made gingerbread cookies (something on my list to do in the future), I've always enjoyed eating them. Now as an adult, I enjoy looking at beautifully decorated gingerbread houses, such as the ones at The White House and Disney (I must put on my to-do-list to see these in person). I tried my hand at decorating a gingerbread house at home several years ago. Let's just say, I'm not that gifted in the baking arena. Every time I shop, I look for anything gingerbread themed (1, 2, 3, 4, ). So as you can see, my gingerbread obsession goes way back.

I've carried over my love for everything gingerbread themed, into my Christmas home decor. Pictured below are my outside decorations for 2021. I purchased this wreath several years ago. It's bursting with wrapped presents, colorful bows, peppermints, Christmas candy and of course gingerbread men. Last year, I really got into garden stakes and flags. Stakes can be placed in the ground and are a nice addition for flower (poinsettia) pots. I decided to jazz up my hand railings with these cookie & candy theme garland. Last year, I used paper garland. It was not a good idea. With the various weather elements (rain, sun, wind, cold etc), I had to throw them away at the end of the season. I'm now buying felt garland, which is a lot more durable and reusable. I enjoy decorating the outside of my home. We have a lot of foot traffic (dog walkers, runners, parents bringing children to school etc) and decorations can really put a smile on people's faces. It's something we need a lot more of in the world we live in today. I try and do my part. That's all one can do.

This is the first year, I won't be decorating the inside of my home for Christmas. Hurricane Ida really took a lot out of me. I usually put up Christmas decorations in November to enjoy them, but I just don't have the energy this year. Instead, I've been working on other projects such as organizing important paperwork, old pictures, taking care of my health (just got my booster shot), throwing away things and preparing for the New Year. Here are some blog posts of my Christmas decorations from the past. I hope this post puts you in the Christmas spirit and gives you inspiration for the holidays.