I truly hope that when I have to study for the US citizenship test, there is a practical section, like: can you pop corn or can you build a gingerbread house.  For these practical subjects, I don't need to pass with honors, but a pass and fail will be good enough. The last two weeks, I have organized and attended three gingerbread parties. Let me tell you: I am starting to understand how it works, although I am not yet starting to improve my ability to hold these things together. 

The creator of this masterpiece called it a ginger flop

Building a gingerbread house is one of the mandatory winter chore that I usually compare with the absolute obligation to build a snowman or to have a hardwood floor full of grey snow stains. I could happily live without these chores. The last few years, I have usually delegated the snowman to the kids (sometimes the husband), while I took care of the stains and lazily bought an overly expensive box of store made gingerbread house. The gingerbread kits are overpriced and end up in the trash after a few weeks of daily homage followed by a quick and inevitable disregard. But they are better for pictures and for presentation and they have the power to limit the number of candies used.

This year, I am learning a few new things, like for example, eating pickles (hopefully also part of the practical US citizenship test) or tasting the jellied cranberry sauce in a can. The last month has been weird and I needed parties in the house. I like parties with a theme, and around Christmas time, we have to be careful about the religious orientation of the activities. A tree, a reindeer, an ornament are related to Christianity, although the connection is kind of very tiny. Gingerbread house, as far as I know, is not religious. (Am I right? Am I wrong?) 

And I thought it was time to spend the money in a better way than paying $15 for a kit. So. Parties happened. Lots of graham crackers were bought. (no, I did not do a real gingerbread house. This first step is huger than one can imagine… the oven fresh gingerbread plates will be for another decade) There were candies all over. Kids were going crazy with the sugar. Then candies were bagged and donated to homeless people. The little houses were eaten, not trashed. Kids were happy, the house was full, just the way I like it. Now, bring on the citizenship test. For that matter, I am ready.