What a bonus that we created something we feel good about entering into The National Gingerbread House Competition. We congregated this morning around 10 am. Kim brought homemade cinnamon rolls. Delicious. Already the gathering was worth it.

We strategized. We divided duties. We melted candies. We constructed individual elements of our tiny village. We brainstormed; we revised; we realized we couldn’t do everything. We prioritized. We ate candy. A lot of candy. We realized we need actual sustenance. I made a hearty chili and a roasted pork. We ate and we continued to create.

We shared playlists. We expressed surprise over entries. We learned about first concerts. About songs that have special meanings. About bands/artists that we hate.

But mostly, we simply had fun. The fun of experimenting, and being okay if something didn’t work out. The fun of playing. And not being wedded to an outcome. To being open to creating something spectacular, or something that will immediately be thrown in the trash.

We talked about what we’ll do differently next year. And I can’t wait.