You can even eat the dishes: Gingerbread houses remain crowd-pleaser at Arboretum

The Castle Wonderland made by Mrs. Fishelman's K Class in Warren took 12 hours to build. Displayed at the 2018 Gingerbread Wonderland. Photo by Jeff Sovelove
The Castle Wonderland made by Mrs. Fishelman's K Class in Warren took 12 hours to build. Displayed at the 2018 Gingerbread Wonderland. Photo by Jeff Sovelove
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By Jeff Sovelove

The holiday season got off to a sweet start with the 27th annual Gingerbread Wonderland & Craft Show at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum in Morris Township. 

Candy works of art created by children, adults, scout troops, and adults wowed big crowds with their imagination and creativity.  The staff expected at least 1,700 people to view the final day of the show last Sunday.

Some of the creations took up to 120 hours to make. That’s three full working weeks for most of us. Popular themes this year included castles, a faithful model of the Madison Dodge Hall, and Alice stuck in a too-small-house. 

Slideshow photos by Jeff Sovelove. Click/ hover on images for captions:

Madison Dodge Hall by Scout Troop 6780 took 8 hours to create. At the 2018 Gingerbread Wonderland. Photo by Jeff Sovelove
Gingerbread man greets visitors at the 2018 Gingerbread Wonderland. Photo by Jeff Sovelove
Justine and Sawyer, 12, marvel at the 2018 Gingerbread Wonderland. Photo by Jeff Sovelove
The Ginger Bees house created by F. N. Brown School in Verona, at the 2018 Gingerbread Wonderland. Photo by Jeff Sovelove
The Castle Wonderland made by Mrs. Fishelman's K Class in Warren took 12 hours to build. Displayed at the 2018 Gingerbread Wonderland. Photo by Jeff Sovelove
Enjoy the Magic by the Bernardo family of Cedar Knolls took 120 hours to complete. At the 2018 Gingerbread Wonderland. Photo by Jeff Sovelove
Santa Visits Camp, by Scout Troop 74 in Bernardsville. It took 11 hours to make. Displayed at the 2018 Gingerbread Wonderland. Photo by Jeff Sovelove
Seasons in the Park by the Einfinger family of Budd Lake took 50 hours to create. At the 2018 Gingerbread Wonderland. Photo by Jeff Sovelove
Deck the Haul by Barb Amabile of Florham Park. This took 65 hours to create. At the 2018 Gingerbread Wonderland. Photo by Jeff Sovelove
Skating into Christmas by Carrie and Jane of Boonton Twp. took 70 hours to create. At the 2018 Gingerbread Wonderland. Photo by Jeff Sovelove
Deck the Haul by Barb Amabile of Florham Park, at the 2018 Gingerbread Wonderland. Photo by Jeff Sovelove
Snowman Workshop by the McNally family of Morris Plains, at the 2018 Gingerbread Wonderland. Photo by Jeff Sovelove
Santa's Company Christmas by the Jarvis Family of Flanders, which took 10 hours to create. At the 2018 Gingerbread Wonderland. Photo by Jeff Sovelove
Have Yourself a Beary Merry X-Mas! by the Rice Family of Long Valley. It took 70 hours to create. At the 2018 Gingerbread Wonderland. Photo by Jeff Sovelove
Ice Fishing by the Caputo Family of Millington took 50 hours to make. At the 2018 Gingerbread Wonderland. Photo by Jeff Sovelove
Happy Holidays Earthlings by the South Orange Middle School, at the 2018 Gingerbread Wonderland. Photo by Jeff Sovelove
Alice and Wonderland by 3rd grader Natalie Bowers of Morristown, which took 7 hours to create. At the 2018 Gingerbread Wonderland. Photo by Jeff Sovelove
Capacity crowd awaits the 2018 Gingerbread Wonderland. Photo by Jeff Sovelove
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Santa also was well represented in the delicious houses, as were the reindeer.  

Justine, one of the visitors, said, “This is amazing.  We love it and it’s magical.  We missed the last couple of years and couldn’t wait to see it this year.”

As a certain jolly old elf would say: “Ho, ho, ho.”

MORE 2018 HOLIDAY COVERAGE

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