Gingerbread Houses and Other Random Christmas Things
Author: Shana // Category: Uncategorized
Every Christmas we make gingerbread houses. It’s a tradition for Mark’s family so we’ve tried to make it one in our family. The Original Henrichsens are really good at it. I guess they’ve had lots of practice. Us knockoffs aren’t so good at it but we do it anyway cause you know, tradition! If I were smart I’d make Mark take over this production. He does everything much better than I do and it probably wouldn’t end up so disasterous every year. This year was no different–the dough ended up a bit soft and proved a bit difficult to work with. Probably because I let the babies help make it but look how cute they are when they help. How can I resist? Jericho and Caleb are scooping like champs and Justus once again can’t help but taste everything. Grandma Henrichsen said he gets it from her. And here’s a a pretty cute video of the twins licking their fingers when the job was all done. They make it look good.
Speaking of the twins helping me in the kitchen, here they are helping me make Swedish pancakes. It’s probably the cutest video I have of them yet! There’s nothing they can’t do, or at least that’s what they think. Those pancakes were especially frothy that day–definitely light and fluffy.
Here are the finished gingerbread houses. I glued the houses together wrong so Noah’s didn’t have a door and Denver’s had two. And Noah was tired of decorating gingerbread houses because he’d already made one at school that very same day. So he didn’t stick a whole lot on his and he continues to whine about it to everyone that comes by. Last night the Sister Missionaries came by and were looking at the boys houses and Noah said, “Mine’s not very good” only like a million times. Probably didn’t help that I glued them together wrong. But despite all the hiccups, I still think they turned out cute. Since the kids are still young and don’t like to share I make mini houses and we turn them into a gingerbread village. It’s kind of fun cause then we get to decorate the surroundings too which I like even better than decorating the houses. From left to right is Hunter’s then Noah’s then Denver’s.
The babies have all been in very festive moods lately and can be found singing all sorts of Christmas songs almost all the time. It blows my mind how many holiday songs they actually know because I haven’t been teaching them any specifically. The other night after we made the gingerbread dough Justus was feeling especially festive and broke into this song. Man, I got cute kids!
Church was cancelled Sunday. We had a wintry mix. I really wish it hadn’t been because I like the Sacrament Meeting Christmas Program to help me center and focus on the real reason we have Christmas. But that’s just me. Instead we stayed home and Mark got the kids addicted to another new game and I got Caleb’s scrapbook completely finished at least until the next round of pictures get printed. I also worked on the ninth treat of Christmas. I made an extra batch of caramel last Friday thinking I could give it away as gifts to friends but it ended up just a little too soft. Guess I had too many babies begging me for breakfast so it didn’t have my complete attention. Anyway, instead of letting it go to waste I remelted the caramel and made Caramel Marshmallow Rice Krispy Treats. All you do is melt some caramel and cut some big marshmallows in half. Dip the marshmallow in the caramel and roll it in rice kripies. Sounds a bit odd, I know, but they are totally addicting.
Monday Mark made the tenth treat of Christmas, English Toffee. It turned out almost as perfect as Mark himself and just as delicious. I have yet to try making that one myself but as with the gingerbread houses, it’s probably better if I don’t. Disaster in the making if you ask me.
And that brings us to Christmas Eve. I’m exhausted. I’ve worked so hard the last few weeks to make it feel all festive and homey and Christmassy around here that I’m feeling a little tired and grumpy and ready for the holiday to be over. Right about now is when I start wishing we were at Mark’s parents’ house in Ohio, delivering Secret Santa gifts for them and Christmas caroling and fighting over space at the dinner table with a million cousins and aunts and uncles. Sure it’s crowded and there’s never enough food and too many parents parenting my kids but there’s no place I can think of where it feels more like Christmas than stuffed in their living room on Christmas Eve watching the kids perform the Nativity or caravaning from house to house to sing Christmas Carols. No one sings quite like those Henrichsens. I’m not sure what I do wrong in preparing for Christmas but it never feels like Christmas unless we’re in Ohio (or wherever Mom and Dad are living). At least not for me. Mark’s Mom sure knows how to do it right. Wish I knew her secret and if she ever feels like me when it’s all said and done–ready for a long winter’s nap.
December 25th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
Shana, your description of you feels just like mine of mine. But let me assure you, blessings come. This year I had to work Christmas Eve day, knowing that there would be 13 people for dinner at 6:00. Of course, at home were Dad, Michael, Sonnet and Marty, John and Sue preparing. They did well, both thinking for themselves and following my to-do lists. Dinner and carroling both went well. And there is enough food left over for weeks (perhaps because of only half the people to eat it). Shana, you are one of my heroes. I often say that you do all the fun things with your kids that I only thought about doing and got too chicken to try it. I am glad that we continued with the gingerbread house tradition. The first year I tried to do too much of it myself, and everyone was grumpy and someone said “Why are we doing this anyway?” and I growled back “FOR FUN!” Then laughed myself silly, and so did they. This year’s houses are yet not even glued together, waiting to be candied, etc. Maybe we’ll get them together today, and then break them earlier than New Year’s Day (like tomorrow night after I get home from work) while both Sonnet’s and Diana’s families are here with Michael, John, Sue, Dad and I. Timing doesn’t really matter, in the long run. It’s being together that counts. We miss y’all.