2016: A Charlotte's Web Christmas. This was my favorite gingerbread creation I've made yet.
As a little girl, the two Christmas traditions I remember the most were making a gingerbread house every year with my one grandma, and attending Festival of Trees at the Salt Palace to watch my other grandma’s clogging group perform. Fast forward to 2010 when we moved back to Utah and I started taking my own kids to experience Festival of Trees. I was still just as mesmerized with the gingerbread creations in the Gingerbread Village, so I merged my two favorite Christmas traditions, and a new tradition of making a gingerbread house for the Festival of Trees was born! Here are the houses I’ve made for Festival of Trees over the years (you can click on any photo to enlarge it).
2016: A Charlotte’s Web Christmas
2016: A Charlotte’s Web Christmas. This was my favorite gingerbread creation I’ve made yet.
This is the quote I displayed next to my creation at the Festival of Trees: “Why did you do all this for me?’ he asked. ‘I don’t deserve it. I’ve never done anything for you.’ ‘You have been my friend,’ replied Charlotte. ‘That in itself is a tremendous thing.” ― E.B. White, Charlotte’s Web
For the hoop house, I cut a #10 tin can and stuffed it with original shredded wheat cereal. For the grain silo, I stacked two oatmeal containers and covered them with frosting and oyster crackers, and put sticks of gum on the top to create the roofing. I found the perfect little animal ornaments at Hobby Lobby and the John Deere tractor toy at IFA.
My 2016 gingerbread creation was A Charlotte’s Web Christmas and it sold for the most money at Festival of Trees than of any of my creations so far. I got the idea to make it when I read Charlotte’s Web to my son Benjamin.
I LOVED making this barn. I covered the top with Triscuit crackers and filled the windows with melted butterscotch candies. I made Charlotte from purple gumballs and licorice legs. I made Gussy the goose (in the hayloft) from gum paste and made the hay from colored coconut. My favorite creation was Charlotte’s Web– I traced a spider web onto parchment paper, then made a sugar syrup and used a turkey baster to “draw” the syrup onto the parchment paper in the shape of a web. I found the gummy letters at Harmon’s and frosted “HUMBLE” onto the web.
I made Templeton the Rat from gum paste. I love his addition under the apple tree surrounded by (candy) apple cores that he’s overeaten. I made the tree from green jello popcorn and sour cherry candies. Fence from pretzels and walking path from chocolate stones.
2011: A Charlie Brown Christmas
I found this Charlie Brown tree on clearance at ShopKo and it inspired my theme. I love the Charlie Brown Christmas story, and thought Snoopy’s overdecorated doghouse would be a fun gingerbread house to make.
Before I cut my gingerbread dough, I made my house pattern out of foam board first, and put it together to make sure it worked. I had so much fun finding candy to decorate.
A trimmed Hershey’s chocolate bar is the doghouse door. I used Target fruit roll strips for the tile on the house, Dots and black licorice rope for the Christmas lights, and melted Jolly Ranchers for the star and ribbon.
2012: {Had a newborn, so no house that year}
2013: Rise and Shout!—a BYU-themed gingerbread house
The year before at Festival of Trees, I noticed there were a few U of U houses, but no BYU ones, so a theme was born!
I loved carving a lit-up Y in the roof made from melted Jolly Ranchers. Cotton candy is the blue smoke, blue gum is the shutters.
My favorite part was decorating these little gingerbread BYU athletes with my kids, including Taysom Hill on the front porch.
2014: A Very Mickey Christmas
My Mickey Mouse gingerbread house was inspired from this huge real-life Mickey Mouse wooden playhouse I saw at Festival or Trees the year before.
I spread my base with a thin layer of white icing for the snow and sprinkle glitter all around.
I made Mickey Mouse ears from regular and mini-sized Oreos, dipped in red candy melts (from Hobby Lobby) and white M&Ms. And I love the rock candy chimney!
This Mickey Mouse ornament was the perfect size for my front porch. And a fun keepsake for the buyer.
Peppermints and Sixlets made into Mickey Mouse ears, and Twizzlers for the shutters.
I used crushed cinnamon candy for the Mickey Mouse ears melted into my gingerbread roof.
2015: Coca-Cola Wonderland—inspired by my love of Diet Coke
A Coca-Cola Wonderland. This is the 3rd year I’ve used the same blueprint for my house. I loved creating cola-related decorations.
These mini Diet-Coke cans made adorable little fence posts. They’re just little plastic cans filled with candy that my son found, and I took off the label from a 16-oz. bottle of Diet Coke, and it fit perfectly on the little cans! And I made the infamous Diet Coke wave in my walkway out of red and silver Sixlets.
My daughter found these little red trees at WalMart–I love how shimmery red they are. We cut a few Diet Coke cans open and ran them through the Cricut to make these cute little ornaments.
Okay, this little 6-pack of Diet Coke on the porch is my favorite decoration. It’s like a little neighbor gift. I put 6 of the little Harbiro cola gummies together with royal icing and a little string. The front door is a Hershey’s chocolate bar with a life-saver wreath and a Sixlet doorknob.
I tiled the rest of my roof with Harbiro cola gummy candies and love how they turned out. Also put some peppermint kisses on the porch awning to add some more silver and red. And Sixlets on the roof seam.
I found this Coke polar bear last Christmas at Smith’s, and it inspired my Coke-themed house for this year. I took a polar bear wrapper off my Diet Coke bottle for his little Diet Coke in his hand–so adorable! I found these little gummy bear “babies” to hang out with the polar bear at Zurcher’s. The lake is made from melted blue Jolly Ranchers.
I made the Diet Coke bottle on the roof from melted cinnamon hard candies. I love the little bubbles.
Every penny raised from Festival of Trees supports the children and families at Primary Children’s Medical Center, and so far my houses have raised over $1,700. (The houses are purchased by the highest bidder). Making my gingerbread houses each year is a labor of love, and raising money for Primary Children’s Hospital is extra motivation to try my best on it.
I want to share my tips and tricks for creating gingerbread houses that I’ve learned along the way. When I started, I had no experience making gingerbread houses from scratch—only from kits or graham crackers (which is still fun). So I scoured library books and the internet for gingerbread house ideas and recipes and found the best recipes and tips from the book The Gingerbread Architect by Susan Matheson and Lauren Chattman. This is my gingerbread BIBLE. Before you start your gingerbread creation, read this book! My dear visiting teacher bought it for me after I kept checking it out from the library year after year. (It’s out of print, but you can still buy it used or get it from the library. See below for their recipes, but you’ll still want to consult their book for all the best tips and tricks). I got the pattern for my last three houses from this book—just enlarged it at a copy store to 400%.
A few other gingerbread making tips:
You need a hefty dose of patience to make a gingerbread house, along with a love of baking (my patience is just seasonal!).
If you want to enjoy the gingerbread making process, give yourself two weeks to make it. My best decorating ideas come as I’ve stared at the beast sitting on my counter for several days.
Add a little cocoa in frosting to build the gingerbread house. The brown frosting blends in better at the seams (and hides mistakes).
Pick your theme early so you can look for supplies throughout the year.
I get scrap wood for my base each year from Home Depot, and have them cut it to a 24”x30” piece, which is a good size for a house with landscaping.
Don’t be a perfectionist or your gingerbread project will drive you insane! Remember that royal icing and candy can easily hide imperfections.
Stock up on parchment paper to bake your gingerbread on, especially when you’re melting crushed Jolly Ranchers or butterscotch candies into the dough.
Zurchers or other party supply stores are a good source for color-coordinated candies, especially Sixlets, M&Ms, and gummies. Harmon’s Grocery has an excellent assortment of hard-to-find candies.
I found the following household tools helpful in making gingerbread creations:
Q-tips to wipe frosting
Tweezers to place Sixlets and other small candy
Cheese grater to “trim” gingerbread pieces to fit together
Straight pins to hold pieces together while the royal icing dries
Canned food to support the pieces while the royal icing dries
Pizza cutter to make straight cuts in the dough
Toothpicks to unclog frosting tips
Gingerbread Dough Recipe (from The Gingerbread Architect by Susan Matheson and Lauren Chattman)
1 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup sugar
2 tsps baking powder
2 tsps ground ginger
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cloves
1 cup dark (not light or blackstrap) molasses
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons white vinegar
5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine shortening and sugar until well combined. Add the baking powder, ginger, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cloves and beat until well incorporated. Add the molasses, eggs, and vinegar, and beat until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice as necessary. Add the flour, one cup at a time, and mix on low until smooth. Scrape the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and press into a rough square. Wrap tightly and refrigerate for at least three hours or up to three days. Bake at 375 for 12-14 minutes.
Royal Icing (from The Gingerbread Architect by Susan Matheson and Lauren Chattman)
3 tablespoons meringue powder
1/2 cup warm water
1 package (16 ounces) confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1. Combine the meringue powder and water in a mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form.
2. Add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. Beat until shiny, smooth and increased in volume, 6 to 8 minutes. If too stiff to pipe or spread, add 1 to 2 tablespoons water; beat until the proper consistency is achieved. Use immediately or cover surface of icing with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
This royal icing is the best cement for your gingerbread house. Leftover icing should be refrigerated, the surface covered with plastic wrap. Meringue powder is available at Zurchers, Hobby Lobby, and WalMart.
Happy baking! I’d love to hear your tips for gingerbread houses.
We just returned from a fun-filled vacation in Orlando, Florida, where we visited The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in both Universal Orlando parks, spent a day at Discovery Cove and a day in SeaWorld. My friend asked me for Orlando tips, so I’m sharing them here in case other people are thinking about an Orlando vacation.
First tip is to start saving up for Orlando! A theme park vacation isn’t cheap, even with deals and discounts. We’ve been planning and setting aside vacation money the past two years for this trip. But with these tips I share, you’ll be able to stretch your Orlando budget further.
My advice is to leave your little kids at home! I knew our 2-year-old would not enjoy our crazy parks schedule, and she wouldn’t remember it anyway, so off to Grandma’s and friends she went. If you do bring a toddler, the only perk is that they’re free until age three. But honestly, I think the youngest age that would enjoy Wizarding World of Harry Potter (WWoHP) is 6 years old.
Orlando Transportation We decided against a rental car. Because we were staying near the parks, we could walk everywhere, and the parks charge a ridiculous $15-$20 for daily parking, plus there are a lot of toll roads, so it was much more economical and efficient to just hire an airport shuttle service.
I booked Mears Transportation to get us to and from the airport to our hotel. They offer a 10% discount to book online (code is WEB10), and the return trip is always discounted. It was cheaper to hire a luxury van to transport the 6 of us, rather than a shared shuttle van. Our driver was very prompt and got us quickly to our hotel.
In the middle of the week, we switched from our hotel near Universal Resort to a hotel near SeaWorld, so we tried out Uber ride service, and I was very impressed. I found a $20 off code for my first ride, so our 20-minute van ride cost me 81 cents plus tip! Uber drivers aren’t allowed to pick up from the Orlando MCO airport, but they are the perfect solution to getting around Orlando. If you want to try them out, use my invite code, dt6x0, and get a free ride up to $20. I was a bit skeptical, but after trying out Uber, I’m a believer. Download the app, pay for your ride, and your driver will show up within minutes.
Speaking of transportation, your feet will be your primary mode of transportation, so wear good walking shoes. I can’t believe how many people in theme parks wear uncomfortable shoes, ranging from high-heeled wedges to leather boots. Function over fashion, people! Fitbit told me we walked about 24,000 steps each day, which is 10 miles, so be kind to your feet.
My Hotel Requirements When searching for hotels near theme parks, I only consider a hotel if it meets my criteria:
Free breakfast
Free parking
Walking distance to theme park
Sleeps 6 people (2 doubles/queens and a pullout sofa)
Comparatively inexpensive
There are plenty of hotels that fit this description. They’re usually no-frill hotels, which are just fine, since we’re gone most of the day at the parks. Marriott Springhill Suites is my favorite.
Universal Orlando Resort Hotels and Tickets The cheapest on-site hotel at Universal Resort is Cabana Bay, and their rooms fit 6 people, but it was still pricier than nearby hotels, plus on-site hotels don’t have free parking or free breakfast. I found a great hotel package off-site: we booked a Universal Partner hotel which gave us early entry to Universal Studios, free breakfast, free parking, was much cheaper than an on-site hotel, and was just a short 15-minute walk to the gate. In order to get the early entry perk, you have to book the hotel through Universal Studios as a vacation package, and buy your tickets at the same time you book. When I searched online, Universal didn’t offer any hotels that would sleep 6 people, but when I called Universal, they easily found a 6-person suite at Comfort Suites on Major Boulevard. So if you don’t find what you’re looking for online, make an old-fashioned phone call.
Our main reason for this trip was going to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, so getting early entry into Diagon Alley to beat the crowds was our priority. When you walk to Universal, you’ll enter by valet parking. We didn’t buy the park-to-park tickets that included the Hogwarts train for an extra $50 because our friends said it wasn’t worth it, and I’m glad we didn’t. If you don’t book a Universal Vacation Package, be sure to still buy your admission tickets online—they’re about $20 cheaper per day than at the ticket booth. There are a handful of hotels within walking distance to Universal Orlando Resort. And this website has good tips to save at Universal Orlando.
Islands of Adventure We visited Islands of Adventure (I of A) the first day, where the older Hogsmeade is located. I checked the crowd calendar online to find the lower crowd days. I of A opened at 9 am– we were in line to the park at 8:30 am so we could easily get onto Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride. Then we went on the little roller coaster called Flight of the Hippogriff and then rode The Dragon Challenge, which spins and goes upside down. (I got motion sickness that lasted the rest of the morning. Yuck.) We spent an hour and a half in Hogsmeade and saw it all, including the frog choir, so we went on the other rides in Islands of Adventure the rest of the day. We especially enjoyed the water rides, Seuss Landing, and the Men in Black ride. Bring ponchos and an extra pair of shoes for the water rides—you WILL get drenched.
Hogwarts
Butterbeer vendor
Please Do Not Feed the Birds or Other Winged Creatures
Hogsmeade
Hogwarts Castle
Hogwarts Express
Monster Book of Monsters
Universal Studios We spent our 2nd day in Universal Studios. Currently, only Universal Studios offers early admission. We got in the park at 7 am (yes, 7!). We went straight back to the new Diagon Alley and rode Escape from Gringotts—it was excellent. The entrance to Diagon Alley is just like the book and movie, with a red brick façade blended in with other shops near Kings Cross Station. The Knight Bus with an interactive shriveled head is right outside Diagon Alley too. Touring WWoHP with avid Harry Potter fans like our kids was extra insightful, since they pointed out the details like Sirius Black’s apartment near the entrance. In Diagon Alley, we went to the Ollivanders Wand Shop show where our son was picked out to receive a wand. We loved interacting with the goblin at the Money Exchange, and the wand tricks were more plentiful and interactive in Diagon Alley. Diagon Alley is much bigger than Hogsmeade, and has a more relaxed feel. We enjoyed Beedle the Bard show and simply wandering the cobblestone streets and browsing through the shops. Outside Diagon Alley, we especially enjoyed Minion Mayhem, the Animal Actors show, and the Curious George ball room in the Kids Zone. We went back to Diagon Alley at the end of the day and rode Gringotts again and enjoyed more shows, butter beer, wand tricks, and strolling around. If you only have one day, I’d choose Universal Studios.
Dragon over Gringotts Bank
Picking out a wand
Hippo-something?
Gringotts Bank
Knight Bus
Wands, Butterbeer, and Popcorn
Butterbeer consumption
WWoHP sells interactive wands for $50 each. Fortunately, we were able to borrow our friends’ wands, but if I had spent $50 on one, I would have felt ripped off. There were little magic tricks around WWoHP that our younger son loved performing. Frozen butterbeer is $6.50 and regular butterbeer is $5.50 Frozen was our favorite. Buy the souvenir refillable popcorn bucket at Universal for $5.99 and get $1.29 popcorn refills the rest of your stay. (Totally worth it for my daily Diet Coke and popcorn breaks.) We came home craving frozen butterbeer so we spent the weekend trying out different recipes. (Our favorite version so far is cream soda mixed with French vanilla ice cream, topped with real whipping cream mixed with butterscotch topping).
Universal Dining Dining in any theme park is expensive, even with counter-service fast food. Entrees were around $10-$15 (not including sodas or sides). Instead, we ate our lunches outside the parks, at the fast food places in City Walk, which is Universal Resort’s shopping and dining area and it’s literally in between the two parks entrances—like less than 100 yards. We found better food and cheaper prices in City Walk at Moe’s, Panda Express, and Menchie’s than in the parks. When we stayed at Comfort Suites near Universal, we ate dinner at the Waffle House and Wendy’s. There was also a Walgreens nearby that was like a mini grocery store to stock up on more snacks in the evening.
Discovery Cove At Discovery Cove, we snorkeled with real-life sea creatures, fed birds in the aviary, swam around the lazy river, and enjoyed endless breakfast, lunch, and snacks. Spending the day at Discovery Cove was so relaxing, after two rigorous days at Universal Parks. Discovery Cove turned out to be our family’s favorite day in Orlando.
You might have sticker shock when you check the ticket prices for Discovery Cove, but book the non-dolphin swim package during off-season/off-peak dates, and you’ll get a great deal. It includes all-day dining, PLUS 14 “free” days at SeaWorld and Aquatica. We went to SeaWorld the next day, so dividing the Discovery Cove ticket price into 2 days, plus one day of free dining, comes out cheaper than two days at Universal parks. If you want to visit Discovery Cove but don’t want to spend any time in SeaWorld or Aquatica, you can buy one annual SeaWorld pass (to any location) and then get up to 6 guests into Discovery Cove one time for $99 each. You’ll need to call to make this transaction.
Discovery Cove
Discovery Cove
Snorkeler
Discovery Cove aviary
SeaWorld Hotel Biggest tip for SeaWorld is to stay in a SeaWorld Official Hotel Partner for a lot of free perks. We stayed in Marriott Springhill Suites across the street from Sea World with a big, fun swimming pool. The room was a good price, the Marriott breakfasts are always tasty, and it was a short 15-minute walk to Sea World. Perks of staying at an official partner hotel included:
Quick queue passes – this was the best! It got us entry to the front of the line on several attractions, including Sky Tower, Journey to Atlantis, Manta, Kraken, and Wild Arctic. You can buy these passes for $19 in the park, so for my family of 6, we saved $116 by getting free quick queue passes just because we stayed at a partner hotel.
Free behind-the-scenes rescue tour at Sea World
10% off all dining purchases in Sea World by showing our hotel partner room card.
Free shuttle to and from SeaWorld from the hotel.
Early entry to SeaWorld and Aquatica on select days.
You’ll need to ask for these perks—the hotel doesn’t necessarily volunteer this information at check-in. You can only book these perks in person at the Expedia Concierge Desk in the Sea World partner hotel when you arrive. It’s free to book with the concierge—just tip her because she’s helping you save a lot of money.
Backflip
Great White teeth
Smiling sea turtle
Sea World
SeaWorld Dining Eat a big free breakfast at the hotel. Take in lots of snacks, and water bottles. You can fill up water bottles at any Coke station throughout all the parks. We bought lunch in SeaWorld, and then stopped for dinner on our walk back to the hotel. Springhill Suites SeaWorld has plenty of inexpensive restaurants near within walking distance–Firehouse Subs, Mellow Mushroom, and Panera Bread. There is a CVS in the same parking lot as Springhill Suites.
When to Visit Orlando We visited Orlando this time in mid-October specifically because it was cooler temps (80s) and smaller crowds. In past years, we visited Disney World and Sea World in Orlando in January, just after New Year’s, and found off-season prices on hotels with smaller crowds then too. We also visited Disney in late April (after spring break crowd) and mid-May and the temps were nice and the crowds were manageable then too. High-crowds time in Orlando to avoid is spring break (March and April), summer months, and Thanksgiving and Christmas weeks. Theme park tickets are so pricey that I do not want to waste my day standing in long lines, so it’s worth it to miss school in order to minimize crowds. Even the busiest rides were only a 20-minute wait in mid-October.
Souvenirs Buy them outside of the park! We totally scored on souvenirs in the Walgreens clearance section, near Universal. Walgreens in Orlando carries a lot of Disney souvenirs especially. And even a bit of Harry Potter gifts. For example, I was tempted to buy an owl at the Owlery at Wizarding World of Harry Potter for $40. However, that night I found the same plush owl at Walgreens for $5.99! Yes, please.
