Gingerbread Battle 2025

Another visit from Santa Buc-ee!  Or is it Buc-ee Claus?  Whatever you call him, there was another gift under the tree this morning, all wrapped up nicely in Buc-ee's wallpaper!   

What was the gift?  A Christmas-themed Buc-ee's coloring book, complete with a small Buc-ee's box of crayons.  It looks like we're in for an interesting month beneath the piano room's tree this month.

So today was a fun day for KidPak, the day of our famous annual Gingerbread Battle!

Emma's gingerbread house was literally hit by a chocolate meteorite!

Camille's house... well, there it is.  I think those are farm animals in an enclosure or something?

Amazingly, Joey's house did well this year!

Here are some shots before the carnage.  Houses are looking good so far.  But anything can happen!

Joey's house was going to be even better... until Camille slammed a giant lollipop onto it, completely collapsing it.  Fortunately, the main pieces stayed intact and he was able to rise again!

Isaac does trivia questions along the way, and the first answers get extra sweet prizes, such as more icing or perhaps the chance to rain down punishment on a rival builder.

Lots of camera work here to be edited after the fact.  We had a few cameras from Ansley, Bryce and Josh working around the table to interview participants and get the action shots.

These are super fun events we film for the online channel.  The basic idea is a limited amount of time to build a gingerbread house, but there are variables and extra challenges.  And some unexpected demolition!  It's always a crazy event. 

I was teaching a class today, and we had fun starting it out with a gift exchange, one of those things where people drew numbers and then faced off swapping with each other to get ornaments for their tree.  It was fun, and it was an illustration about humility too, so it worked out in the end.  Here were my notes that I sort of worked out, but of course we varied a bit.  I was happy with the Christmas theme to it.

1.     Gift exchange

2.     The first shall be last - it's all about service and humility.

3.     Last Supper (chronological Bible) Disciples were arguing, then Jesus washes feet.  HUMILITY.
John 13:1-17
Luke 22:24-30

4.     Ugly Christmas Sweater – a ridiculous thing to wear.  Some are too proud to wear it, but put on humility!

5.     Best Christmas Pageant Ever Trailer

A.     There are no small parts.

B.     So obsessed with perfect and their Christmas production that they missed out on the point of Christmas.  Pride in their performance vs. humility and love.

C.     Finding perfection in the church vs. finding lost souls.  How to find the balance?  Love is the answer.

E.     What is love?  Ask OLAF:  Putting others first.  SEE LUKE 22.

6.     Virtual Thanksgiving Track 

A.     Running Community:  Not about beating others.  Encouraging runners on the track.  

B.     Little girl at finish line cheering on me and other runners – I didn’t even know her!

C.     Large man trying to run yesterday.

7.     Nutcracker Illustration

A.     Parents watching only their kids on stage, not necessarily the prima donna, but the little kid in the back twirling their umbrella for a few minutes.  Their kid, doing their best in a small part.

B.    Your Heavenly Father is watching YOU, the one working in the back, doing your best in ministry.

C.     Zena – doing the costumes backstage.  YOU, working in children’s ministry.  Anyone working in love and doing the small parts to help the ministry.  God the Father is looking down on you. Focus on serving.  Focus on love.

Maddie had her classes today, at least elsewhere.  We picked up something at Zaxby's for her, and then she was gone over at Nate's the rest of the day.  We were at the office getting a lot done, including cleaning up the stage and prepping it for the new Christmas set.  We're also working on this weekend's new script and a few other things.

 

Tonight we saw "The Santa Claus 3" before bed, and of course we read from "Hogfather" a bit more.  We said our prayers, and it was off to sleep!