Breckenridge Texan

By Carla McKeown/Breckenridge Texan

The cafeteria at Breckenridge’s East Elementary School was filled with the harmonious sounds of children’s laughter and Christmas music last Thursday morning as the second graders decorated gingerbread houses for the holiday.

Second graders at East Elementary choose just the right piece of candy to decorate their gingerbread houses last week. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Sitting at tables piled high with graham crackers, bowls of icing and a variety of candy, the kids happily created miniature houses and trees. Using milk cartons as a base, they used icing to attach the graham cracker walls and roofs. Upside down (and empty) ice cream cones were turned into trees with green icing.

Then, everything was decorated with brightly colored candy. They used sticks of gum for the doors, Twizzlers for archways, Hot Tamales for shingles and coconut for snow. Also adorning the scenes were marshmallows, pretzels, Skittles, gumdrops, M&Ms, peppermint candies, candy canes, Hershey’s Kisses, and more. Parents and teachers provided the supplies for the activity.

(Click here to see more photos from the event.)

Each student’s gingerbread house reflected their own personality — some were decorated with every candy possible while others were more minimalist, making use of just a few carefully selected pieces. Regardless of the style, each house was precisely trimmed with care.

Although the goodies were meant for decorating the gingerbread houses, kids will be kids, and before long, some of the candy became a snack, as well. Just as they decorated their houses differently, the kids each tasted the decorations differently. The early taste-testers looked around furtively before sneaking a bite of icing or a marshmallow. But it wasn’t long before there was no attempt to hide the snacking. By the end of the project, even the teachers couldn’t resist an M&M or two.

In the end, the kids all had Christmas decorations to take home and maybe a speck of green icing on their noses.

Upcoming events

As we count down the days until Christmas, there are still a few community events coming up:

• Tommy and Sharon Wimberley will be honored with a lighting ceremony for their vintage, 1928 oil derrick, which has recently been relocated to the 2100 block of West Walker Street. The event, which will be hosted by H-Bar Realty and open to the community, will be from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 20. There will be refreshments and live music. Click here for more details.
• A group of Breckenridge residents is planning to go Christmas caroling, beginning at 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 20. They’re going to meet at the high school parking lot and then go around town singing carols for about two hours. For more information, visit the Facebook Group page “Christmas Caroling” or contact Donna Walker at 254-522-4448 or walker32570@outlook.com.
• Santa will be set up at the Stephens Memorial Hospital Business Office, directly across from the main entrance to the hospital, from 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 21. There will be an area decorated for anyone to take pictures with Santa.
• First National Bank of Breckenridge has invited the community to join them for holiday refreshments in the bank’s lobby from noon to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 22.

Second-grade teacher Jennifer Love is festively attired as she helps the students with their gingerbread houses. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Cutline, top photo: Second graders at East Elementary decorate their gingerbread house scenes with a variety of icings and candy. Click here to see more photos from the event. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

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