Dozens of families recently gathered at the Gorton Community Center in Lake Forest to put their creative touches on pre-baked, pre-built and unadorned gingerbread houses.
The decorating party Dec. 15 encouraged both kids and adults to participate. About 50 people attended with some using tubes of white, red and green frosting to create criss-cross patterns on the roofs and outer walls to their gingerbread houses.
Gumdrops and spice drops in white, red, green, purple also added extra color. Small, red licorice squares became windows and shutters.
Matt and Nicole Phelan said they look forward to the event since it helped get their children Connor, 12, and Caroline, 7, out of the house,
“We had a bunch of other family friends as here, as well,” said Matt Phelan. “It gets the boys out of the house and away from the videogames and hopefully, a little more into the Christmas spirit.”
The Phelans’ finished house will reside temporarily in the family’s kitchen, he said.
“It will probably be stared at for a couple of days, with a few pieces going missing as we wake up and find out that little elves have been picking off little parts of it along the way,” he said.
Jasmin Rodriguez, event hospitality coordinator at Gorton, said online registration for the event was cut off shortly before the weekend.
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“Families are coming every year, and they’re looking forward to it,” Rodriguez said. “They ask during the summer if we are going to have the gingerbread event at Christmas.”
Denys Bucksten is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.