Gingerbread houses are a common holiday tradition in many Northern countries. We have our fair share here in Alaska. But the best-known example is the Captain Cook Christmas Gingerbread Village.
In Anchorage, the Captain Cook Hotel displays an annual gingerbread village during the holidays. Chef Joe Hickel makes it from scratch every year, and it is an amazing thing to see. The buildings are made of chocolate and gingerbread. Royal Icing snow and chocolate trees adorn the landscape. If you look closely, you’ll find Scrooge and the Cracthits, including Tiny Tim, celebrating Christmas Day.
It's part of our family's holiday tradition; we used to take our daughter there before going to Grandma's on Christmas Eve, and now that she's grown and out of the house, my husband and I see it as part of our New Year's Eve celebration. Here are a few of my photos from past years:
See how Chef Hickel built it, view more photos and watch from their live streaming cameras at http://www.captaincookchristmas.com.
Lynn Lovegreen has lived in Alaska for over fifty years. After twenty years in the classroom, she retired to make more time for writing. She enjoys her friends and family, reading, and volunteering at her local library. Her young adult historical fiction is set in Alaska, a great place for drama, romance, and independent characters. See her website at www.lynnlovegreen.com. You can also find her on Facebook and Instagram.
6 comments:
Lynn, I've watched the Holiday Gingerbread Championship on Food Network this year. Chef Hickel is amazing! The detail in this project is awesome. A testament to what we all can do if we funnel our passion and inspiration into a project.
Thanks for the comment, Judith. I have been thinking of making a gingerbread house myself, but there's no way I'm up to Chef Hickel's standards! :-)
Holy wow!! I can't begin to imagine the HOURS that went into creating that village - to say nothing of the pounds of flour. I made a gingerbread house once when the boys were little - been there, done that, LOL. I'm perfectly happy making gingerbread people, plus, they're easier to eat.
True, Luanna. And they taste good, too! :-)
Thank you for sharing about the Captain Cook Christmas Gingerbread Village, Lynn. I love Gingerbread houses. People get so creative! But a whole village - WOW!
What a gift of love and memories! I love gingerbread, but I could never bring myself to eat any part of a village. :)
Merry Christmas!
Post a Comment