Little Gingerbread House
The whole room smells
of graham crackers and icing,
sweet-scented as Christmas should be,
marked by twinkle lights and fingers
dipped in icing or glitter glue.Santa’s in the hallway
listening to every child’s wish.
Teachers are tired, overwhelmed
by lists and sugary treats. Too much
time spent on planning, cooking, decorating.But there’s the child with bright eyes
who opens her arms and says “I love you”.You must open
Margaret Simon, draft
your little gingerbread house
to all of it.
I started my day listening to Ada Limón and The Slowdown. She talked about her grandmother’s kitchen and read the poem little tree by ee cummings. I played this episode for my students, and we wrote together. My poem above is true. I took the plunge and did gingerbread houses made out of graham crackers for the first (and most likely last) time. The success on Avalyn’s face and her insistence on telling me she loved me comforted my weary soul. She wrote a sweet story about her little gingerbread house on Fanschool here. (Spoiler alert: it includes a true story about a lizard rescue.)
Chloe wrote a poem side-by-side to ee cummings.
(after ee cummings little tree)
bright star
bright little North Star
you are so bright
you are more like a lightwho found you behind Mars
and were you sad to lose hide and seek?
see I will comfort you
because you light up my Christmas tree.i will hug your prickly sides
and swing you gently
as your mother would
so don’t run awayand my father and i will lift you up
Chloe Willis, 6th grade
and look at your shining stem
we’ll skip and sing
“Behold that Star”
This is the time of year for the Winter Poetry Swap. I exchanged with Karen Eastlund. She sent me the following poem (how cool that it’s in the shape of a Christmas tree) along with some delicious goodies and a hand sewn mini bin. Thanks, Karen.
Reflections on the Teche 
Oh, the exhaustion, the baking, the joy. Last year on this day, we decorated gingerbread people via Google Meet. Hubby and I delivered boxes of cookies/icing/decorations to every student’s house the night before in the midst of a snow storm. It was all worth it. 37 years of baking and decorating with students. Precious memories.
Well done, Chloe! You used your mentor text well! (I loved that episode and ee cummings’ poem!)
What a lovely poem+gift from Karen!
I remember how exhausted I felt just reading about your baking endeavor. It’s all good and fun, but I’m ready as ever for a break. Thanks!
I will come back to respond more, but I love Karen’s poem and the joy the season is for children recalling the exhaustion for teachers who have to do it for school and at home. We solved our Gingerbread House Dilemma with this idea. Get white foam trays from the meat dept. at your grocery store. MAKE the houses at home and do not use the milk carton model. Icing glue the houses onto the foam tray. (One teacher was a genius at it and did all of them for us!!! But they are not hard once you have the hang of it, the right knife and icing and a place to store them. ) Only a certain brand for the graham crackers (I forget now, but have the info) because that kind does not crumble, break as easily. USE only ROYAL ICING that is hard, hard, hard to build and to decorate. Everything sticks and dries nicely. Each kid brings in a bag of candy to share, try to get a variety of course. Get parents to help sort the candy and place an extra tray and cups of candy on desks, plus freezer baggies with royal icing that the adult snips the end off. Get the parents to make the icing, too, if possible and transfer ahead of time to the baggies. Yes, a bunch of work ahead of time, but they turned out quite nice. You use one long cracker for each side and the roof. Then you have to cut the front and back at the right angle with the right knife so the roof pieces will go on. After spending hours this year making the gingerbread from scratch etc (and I would do it again), I think the “right” kit can be helpful. (When I asked my granddaughter which she wanted to use next year she pointed to the small house I had brought for her 3 yo brother…..he was done sooner and his was cute. But the big house turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself. However, never for school!!!!) But never use their icing, it doesn’t harden well. Not sure you need this info but since I just did mine I figured I would share while I had a minute.
Avalyn’s gingerbread house is adorable! “But there’s the child with bright eyes
who opens her arms and says “I love you” is the best compliment. I can hear and I can clearly see this image of joy. Love your ending. Your poem brought a fun memory to me of volunteering with three other moms to make the graham cracker houses so our youngest daughter’s first grade class could decorate them.
Chloe’s poem is excellent; I love it! I especially love her opening stanza that immediately drew me in. I also especially love the image of this stanza “i will hug your prickly sides and swing you gently as your mother would so don’t run away”. I had forgotten about that poem. I read a lot of ee cummings in HS. What a beautiful concrete poem Karen wrote on lovely paper. I especially love these lines “That out of darkness comes a ray of light” and “To hug a child and sing to hearts’ delight”. Thank you for sharing your post of joy and light.
Great idea to use graham crackers to make gingerbread houses. Love your poem and the child with bright eyes. Karen’s concrete poem is beautiful too. Happy Holidays!
I’ve done them, Margaret, & they are fun & quick for a holiday treat for students, but oh, the teacher’s exhaustion this time of year. All in our community are out today & some were out Wednesday. I love Karen’s poem, Tree-shaped & memory-laden! And ee cummings would love Chloe’s poem, “skip and sing”! Happiest of Christmases to you & all the family!
Margaret, the gingerbread house is so cute. Your poem is definitely “sweet-scented as Christmas should be.” I also love Karen’s concrete poem. I hope you have a very Merry Christmas!
Christmas is full of sweet things, like your little houses, as well as exhaustion, especially for teachers. I always love your sharing the student’s work and this poem with a star with its “prickly sides,” is lovely.
You are brave building ginger bread houses with your kiddos! Glad you were rewarded with a sticky hug and a lovely poem.
I’ve shared this before…so forgive me…I was raised on the idea that if we truly cared about someone we make a gift for them. Be it a bouquet of flowers or a garment or a piece of art. So, the gingerbread houses, the poetry gifts…they are all so perfect for this season. I love Chloe’s poem. Would you ask her if I could please use it for a future project? I’d love her permission. Finally, today is the first day of a much needed break. I will open the doors of my gingerbread house…to all of it! Thanks, Margaret!
Your post is like a warm blanket wrapping around us and keeping away the cold… Love the love that emanates out of your poem’s closing lines and those wonderful reaching arms. Thanks for sharing Chloe’s poem which shines through throughout!