Cookies, candy canes, sweets and treats of all kinds abound during the holidays.
They are given to friends as gifts and left out as a snack for Santa on his busiest night of the year. They are fun to make and even more fun to eat (which may be part of the reason getting in shape is a top priority for so many when the New Year comes around.)
Some people make sweets to share (and to eat) and others make them to put on display in a way that is delightful, festive and wildly creative. They come up with a plan and set out on a baking frenzy. They “glue” pieces together with icing and place all of the final touches on the brightly-colored masterpiece that screams Christmas – the gingerbread house.
My family and I had the pleasure of seeing an incredible gingerbread display, appropriately named Gingerbread Village, at Conner Prairie Interactive History Park this past weekend. The impressive creations were made by local people – some professional, but mostly amateurs. They were made by individuals and by groups (such as troops, preschools, families and sports teams – to name a few) of all ages.
We enjoyed looking at all of the different creations and each picked our favorite. The kids had a lot of fun completing the “Gingerbread Hunt.” They ran (I wish I could say walked, but mostly ran) from house to house in search of all of the tiny intricate items made of a wide variety of edible items. Some of the items they were searching for were well hidden and others were more obvious; making it fun for all ages to participate.
After spending time at the Gingerbread Village we ventured through the rest of the indoor activities where we learned about history and science in a fun, hands-on, engaging way. 
And the fun didn’t stop there. We then made our way to the play area where the kids made forts out of blankets, read stories and played pretend in a variety of settings where their imaginations could run wild.
On a typical day, we would have went outside to visit the homes and businesses in Prairietown to experience the holiday season in 1836. Unfortunately, it was too cold and the outdoor area was closed for the day.
There is so much to experience at Conner Prairie, both indoors and outdoors, so that did not stop us from having a festive fun-filled day. We left feeling inspired and headed home to do what only seemed natural – bake Christmas cookies. Who knows? If we brush up on our skills – maybe next year we will have a house of our own on display.
MORE INFO: The Gingerbread Village and Holiday Adventures outdoors run now through December 31 at Conner Prairie Interactive History Park located at 13400 Allisonville Road, Fishers. Free with admission.
Jennifer Thompson is a stay-at-home mom of four spunky, sweet, kind and sometimes a bit wild children. She has a passion for the written word and thinks that libraries and bookstores are the coolest places ever. When not hanging out with family or writing, she can be found enjoying a good cup of coffee, running, spending quality time with friends, working on some type of project around the house, planning the family’s next trip to her favorite destination – Walloon Lake, Michigan, or very possibly – reading a book.
Jennifer enjoys writing about her parenting experience and outings with her children for Indy’s Child as a freelance writer and blogger and also keeps a personal blog, www.trulyyoursjen.com, that she has fun writing when time allows.
