Are you looking for family entertainment for this year’s Thanksgiving weekend? Consider taking part in a venerable Morris County holiday tradition: Bake, assemble and decorate a gingerbread house.
This can be a charitable project as well. By submitting your creation to Gingerbread Wonderland 2017 you help raise money to support the Frelinghuysen Arboretum. After the show, you can bring it home, or leave it to be donated to a seniors center.
Nov. 22, 2017 — the Wednesday before Thanksgiving– is the last day to register, assuming the maximum of 200 entries hasn’t been reached. Note: Structures made from commercial kits will not be accepted.
The gingerbread scenes must be delivered to the arboretum after Thanksgiving: Tuesday, Nov. 28, or Wednesday, Nov. 29, between 8 am and 7 pm.
Display dates: Friday, Dec. 1 – Sunday, Dec. 10. Times: 10 am – 4:30 pm daily, Fridays until 7:30 pm. You can expect 13,000 guests to view your creation(s).
Creating a Gingerbread Scene
- Fill out the Entry Brochure. Entries can be in any one of six categories: Adult, Family, Children, School, Scout and Special Needs.
- Download the Gingerbread Recipe – Family and Adult entries must include a gingerbread structure.
- Consult a book on gingerbread construction from the Morris County Library system. (Or print out a pattern from the Internet.) Our local library has 11 books, Morris County library has 15 books, and there are several dozen more you can request be sent to the Town/Township library for pickup. See tables below.
- Supplies can be procured at Michaels Craft Store, Candyland Crafts, Walmart, supermarkets and online.
At the Morristown & Morris Township Library
| 1 | Author: | Gunter, Veronika Alice. | ||
| Title: | Making gingerbread houses : dozens of delectable designs & ideas / Veronika Alice Gunter. | |||
| ISBN: | 1579905064 (Paperback) | |||
| Control Number: | 509294 | |||
| Copies in all libraries: | 8 | |||
| 2 | Other Author: | Bragdon, Allen D. | ||
| Title: | The Gingerbread book / edited by Allen D. Bragdon. | |||
| ISBN: | 0916410080 | |||
| Control Number: | 163521 | |||
| Copies in all libraries: | 3 | |||
At the Morris County Library
| 1 | Author: | Beddall, Catherine, author. |
| Title: | The magic of gingerbread : 16 beautiful projects to make and eat / written and photographed by Catherine Beddall. | |
| ISBN: | 9781441319807, 1441319808 | |
| Control Number: | 1002090 | |
| Copies in all libraries: | 9 | |
| 2 | Author: | Stellingwerf, Steven. |
| Title: | The gingerbread book / Steven Stellingwerf. | |
| ISBN: | 0847814149 | |
| Control Number: | 222046 | |
| Copies in all libraries: | 3 | |
| 3 | Author: | Jarrett, Lauren. |
| Title: | Making & baking gingerbread houses / written and illustrated by Lauren Jarrett & Nancy Nagle. | |
| ISBN: | 0517555980 (pbk.) | |
| Copies in all libraries: | 1 | |
| 4 | Author: | Williams, Vera B. |
| Title: | It’s a gingerbread house : bake it, build it, eat it! / Vera B. Williams. | |
| ISBN: | 0688801536, 0688841538 | |
| Control Number | 86072 | |
| Copies in all libraries | 2 |
Elsewhere in the County System
If you are looking only for the craft and not submitting it to the arboretum, kits are sold at Costco (Rt 10) and Williams Sonoma (Short Hills Mall) or online:
https://www.williams-sonoma.com/shop/christmas/christmas-cookie-shop/?cm_type=lnav
https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/williams-sonoma-gingerbread-house-kit/?pkey=e%7Cgingerbread%2Bhouse%2Bkit%7C150%7Cbest%7C0%7C1%7C24%7C%7C1&cm_src=PRODUCTSEARCH