Tradition of Destruction

Every year on New Year’s Eve, my mom would let us crush our gingerbread house.
Well. I say “our” but really: it was her’s. I know that now because letting the kids smash something I’d worked so hard on wasn’t exactly easy. I really thought I made the house FOR them, but when it came right down to it: I was attached to it.
I made sure I got pictures of it. Lacy was my main decorator:

Here’s the sides:

My husband reached into the closet and brought out a hammer and mallet… and we let the kids go to it. They had a blast. My mother and father in law were here, and we were glad they were able to participate in our little family tradition.
It’s cool to smash things per tradition. Just ask any Jew.

Except that they’re smart enough to wrap their glass in a cloth before shattering it with their foot. Our gingerbread house went EVERYWHERE.

Kids really will eat anything candy-ish… even if it has been sitting out for almost two whole months.


And this.
This is my personal favorite. It captures the magic of smashing gingerbread houses perfectly. I remember feeling the same way as a kid: