Gingerbread Cathedral

The subject of gingerbread houses came up at work, caught my mind in a little eddy of memories, and sent me spinning. Like so many other American girls, I had an American Girls doll (Samantha) when I was nine. One of the particulars that goes with Samantha (whose life is set in the Victorian era) is the making of gingerbread houses.

For two or three years I looked forward at Christmastide to the pans of warm brown-spicy gingerbread, the messy toil of icing, and the anxious delight of decorating. Do I want a gumdrop walkway this year, or would candy canes really be better? Which kind of roof shall I have: multicolored M&M's, or just yellow?

I made humble cottages, but always aspired to the grander architectures. I wanted to build cathedrals like these:

The marvelous thing is.... I still can. The years ahead are yet untouched. :-)