One of the traditions from my family growing up that has carried over into a tradition with my own little family is the making of a big gingerbread house at Christmas time each year.  We use my mother's recipe and pattern for the house.  One of the fun things about the house are the stained glass windows, created by melting crumbled LIFESAVER candies into the windows.

This year, with so many people from my family visiting, my mom also brought over some big gingerbread men for people to decorate.  There were some pretty funny gingerbread people being created!

 This year we went with Wheat Thins for the shingled roof...

 Of course about half the candy went into people's mouths before it ever made it to the house!

 Aunt Kacie's gingerbread person...

 Kyle's creation...

Every year when Christmas is over we go to the gingerbread house, now void of candy, and it is hard as a rock.  Obviously we can't eat it, so usually it goes to the trash.  A few years ago Mark invented a new family tradition which we have continued and which the children look forward to with anticipation...the demolition of the gingerbread house.

The tradition started using a slingshot.  The kids (and I include Mark with "the kids") took turns trying to demolish the gingerbread house using the slingshot.  A couple of years ago they upgraded to a BB gun.  We would drive the gingerbread house out into the desert and have fun demolishing it using our BB's.  This year my sister, Jamie, brought along her glock and finished it off very quickly after the rest of us had our fun with the BB gun.

We have a lot of fun with the gingerbread house!