During this holiday season, we may forget to stop and smell the gingerbread since we are scrambling to get the perfect gift at the mall, or to decorate the house inside and out, or to whip up a festive meal. But 32 children and 29 adults from all around Long Island slowed down from the holiday frenzy and bonded over gingerbread house decorating, seasonal crafting, refreshments, and holiday music in two multi-sensory workshops on Sunday, December 12th, sponsored by LilChefs.com Special Events. This annual holiday event was held for the second year at the Parent Resource Center. Children just shy of age 3 through 14 created some of the most beautiful and unique gingerbread houses.
The first activity to get them in the spirit of the season was to decorate chef hats and aprons with gingerbread foam stickers while listening to candy or holiday-inspired music. "Candy Man," Shrek's "My Boy Lollipop," "Gingerbread Man Song," and "Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel" filled the room. The smell of freshly-baked gingerbread from Riesterer's, a 3rd generation Bavarian bakery located in West Hempstead, the colorful refreshment table adorned with hot cocoa, candy cane cookies, the tasty display of treats at the candy station, and the individual tables set up for families, made the room a warm and inviting place to be.
The li'l gingerbread makers' imaginations soared as they approached the candy station designed by Chef Paula, the owner of LilChefs.com. M&M dispensers, gumdrops, fruit chews, jumbo and mini candy canes, marshmallows, pretzel wheels, colorful cereals, rainbow licorice, chocolate kisses, jelly beans, and gold foil wrapped chocolate coins were beautifully displayed for the kids to use as building materials. These little architects also had a choice of color for their royal icing bags. Some children went with the traditional white that made great icicles, while others chose blue representing Chanukah, and still others chose pink for their sweetheart houses. Once their paper plate with gingerbread house design was filled to the brim with materials, the families worked together to personalize their houses.
After offering this holiday workshop for 3 years in a row, this year's gingerbread houses were off-the-charts amazing. Who'd have thought a green Twizzler could be split down the middle and splayed into a palm tree? How about the candy cane arches standing proudly at the entrance? What if you stacked gumdrops on top of one another to create an edible evergreen? Would mini marshmallows piled at the side of the house look like a mound of snow? How about Christmas wreaths created with green M&M's? Ever thought of a chimney made out of a marshmallow and a gumdrop cap? Could fruit chews become stepping stones to your gingerbread abode? These and more questions were proudly put to the test by these inventive li'l gingerbread chefs.
The last activity before the workshops came to a close was to decorate a seasonal craft. Some children glued a gingerbread pin, some strung a gingerbread and jingle bell necklace, some decorated a foam gingerbread boy or girl, and some created a colorful magical dreidel by scratching a design into the form with a wooden stylus, and attaching a silk string for hanging. It was so heartwarming to see children who would ordinarily be designing a Christmas ornament requesting the magic dreidel and kids who knew about menorahs requesting the jingle bell necklaces. On this very rainy and cold day, these Long Island families experienced a blending of traditions, a coming together.
Happy Holidays from LilChefs.com Special Events! We look forward to seeing you at our next public event for Valentine's Day—our Sweetheart Social on Sunday, February 13th.
For more information, please call Chef Paula at (516) 338-0552 or Email: Paula[at]LilChefs[dot]com or visit www.LilChefs.com
