Graham Crackers and Frosting!

Christmas brings so many good things to the Hammond house hold. One of those great things is Graham Cracker Houses (Ginger Bread Houses with Graham Crackers). It has been a tradition of the Hammond family now for a bout 10 years to make Graham cracker houses. 

Now we are the not the traditional kind to use frosting to put our houses together. That just takes to much time. Instead we use good old trusty hot glue guns to assemble out master pieces.  Also we don't eat our houses. Why you may ask? Well 1st of all who wants to eat a house covered in candy or should I say in cheap candy that has been sitting out for a week or two? We all know we use the cheap candy to make the houses and reuse the remainders of last years candy too. So that is one good reason to avoid.  Also for all the girls out there "Calories", frosting, candy, cookies, and so much more, the calories really add up. So being the family we are instead of eating them we blow them up. Yes you read right we blow them up on New Years day to celebrate the new year. That is one of the best parts of making them, because we know we get to blow them up, but other parts of the fun of making them would have to be the different personalities of my family while making their houses. 

1st we have to start out with my dad. He is a good sport and makes one but it is always the most simple and lest technical one. But he has an art behind it and it always turns out good looking. We could all learn from simpleness. It is just good looking and wholesome.

Next we have my nice and nephew. They have more fun looking at the other family members houses and commenting on them. Saying stuff like, "Wow, that is really small.", "That is going to be the biggest and then mine and then grandma's and then mommies, and so on.", "Why are you doing it that way?", and they continue to watch us intently as we do ours. Then once they get started on theirs it is quick and to the point with lots of frosting or none at all. It depends on the year. 

Their is me and I always have to do something big, I don't know why but I do. As always I seem to dig myself in to a hole with my ideas and end up putting on lots of frosting to try and make it look good. Its my secret. Put lots of frosting on and it looks good. 

Then we have our creative side of the family like Jamie, Mom, and Dru. They always seem to come up with great ideas. This year my mom with her broken hand still came out with and amazing design, she made a Graham Cracker present. 

The rest of the family enjoys and has a blast. Mainly though, we all know we are waiting for the new year to blow them up. So whether it be Graham Crackers of ginger bread the Hammond house hold loves to make their houses and then like all good people, we enjoy blowing them up. 

Merry Christmas to all of you who read this blog. Remember the true meaning of Christmas. Love one another and show gratitude to others and remember the Lords our Savior Jesus Christ birth. Through him we receive the opportunity to become clean from our sins and one day return to live with our father in heaven. This is the greatest gifts of them all. 

"And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more."

Dr. Seuss