Gingerbread time of year

"And I had but one penny in the world. Thou should’st have it to buy gingerbread." – William Shakespeare, Love’s Labours LostFor me this time of year means gingerbread. All through my childhood my mom made fantastic gingerbread villages with my brother and I. They were incredible creations that filled the top of our piano. I loved them. We had little houses, a church, a skating pond, trees and people all set up on a board with little twinkle lights. Each building had coloured cellophane in the windows and the lights would set off the colours. To me it was absolutely magical and I loved turning out all the other lights to gaze at the village. The lights also warmed the gingerbread enough that their spicy smell filled the room.

I have done houses with my boys in the past (one memorable year W's house was eaten by a dog that we babysit) but this year it will just be gingerbread men.

E was determined to make the dough on his own. Once it was done we all got in on cutting out shapes.

E had just finished reading Gingerbread Cowboy so he wanted to make his own gingerbread cowboy man instead of using the cookie cutter. See his big cowboy boots?One poor fellah had his leg fall off so, naturally ;-), this made me think of Monty Python's poor black knight. My lucky boys got to listen to me quote the Black knight (in a very poor British accent) until W finally ate the bit of leg in an attempt to end his mama's silliness. ;-)

"None shall pass", "...just a flesh wound" and "...I'll bite your leg off." My poor children.