The Gingerbread Competition

Dave and Mercedes Rizzo discuss their new family holiday tradition: an annual gingerbread house competition.

In recent years our family has started a gingerbread competition held on Thanksgiving Day. The participants are from our children’s generation and are all cousins. The competition between the cousins is really heating up.  

Some History on Gingerbread Houses  

Gingerbread houses are very common at this time of year. You can find gingerbread house kits in many stores. They come in different shapes and sizes; some are already assembled; some you must put together yourself. If you’re going that route, we have learned that you'd better be masterful with using icing to “glue” the walls and roof of your gingerbread house together. Each year someone in our competition has met with success, but invariably some brave soul who attempts this has stated “I give up” as their house falls apart.  

Some people think that building gingerbread houses was popularized by the fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, “Hansel and Gretel.” Others say that it began in medieval Europe when monks would shape gingerbread into figures of saints and animals. German immigrants are credited with bringing the tradition of building and decorating gingerbread houses to America. Eventually, gingerbread and gingerbread houses became associated with Christmas. 

Our Thanksgiving Day Competition  

Picture this: A table full of 20- and 30-year-olds individually or with a partner strategizing how they can win the coveted “mirror ball trophy,” a small trophy inscribed with the words “2025 Gingerbread House Family Competition First Place.” The rules are few and simple. The house can be big or small, but needs to be the traditional brown gingerbread color, to keep all competitors on the same playing field. All decorations must be edible. 

We have seen quite a lot of creativity here, including pretzels, candy, cereal, cookies, colored icing, candy and more candy, marshmallows, chocolate; the list goes on. Judges are selected in advance, and they are unaware of which house belongs to which person. The judges must reach an agreement on who takes first place and second place. This is not an easy task. 

We like this activity because it seems to be enjoyed by all and the participants look forward to it. It is an inclusionary activity for our daughter Danielle to participate in. She is 27 and non-verbal due to autism. With assistance, she can decorate a worthy entry. She likes all the excitement at the table and is good at following along with a partner. 

Celebrations are our opportunity to see God in our daily lives and relationships. When we celebrate joyous occasions with others, we are in fact affirming the presence of God in the world. Parents of children with special needs do not have to stop participating and celebrating. This is an example of ways to partake in the family celebration with cousins and peers. Danielle enjoyed being part of the gang and doing as they were doing. That was not always the case. At times it was difficult for her to participate with her cousins. Over the years, Danielle has made much progress and enjoys her siblings’ and cousins' company immensely. 

This year's winner was a stunning log cabin made with pretzel logs. Second place was also very well done and colorful. The gingerbread houses made a great decoration for the Advent and Christmas seasons. It’s nice to have fun holiday traditions like this and it allows our adult children to have a tradition of their own to enjoy and pass on to their families when that time comes. Isn’t that what holiday traditions should be all about? We think so, and it looks like the Cousins Family Gingerbread House Competition is here to stay.   

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Copyright 2025 David and Mercedes Rizzo
Images: (top, bottom) Canva; all others copyright 2025 David and Mercedes Rizzo, all rights reserved.