Gingerbread Nativity

A lot of last Christmas is kind of a blur, to be honest. Drew was 2 months old and I was just starting to get a good night's sleep again after 8 weeks of sleep deprivation. So... I rely on pictures and our blog to clear up my vague memories. :)

I do remember making a gingerbread house with Clayton. I was determined to make my own gingerbread and use the mold that my mom had saved from when my sister and I were little.

Well... this year I wasn't quite as ambitious. I totally wimped out and bought the kit from Joann's. Ha! I decided to do a spin off on the traditional gingerbread house and make a gingerbread nativity instead. It turned out pretty cute!

Clayton opted out of most of the creative process and just ate the candy. He did, however, enjoy taking credit for the final product. ;) We melted a banana Laffy Taffy and molded it into the star. The manger is graham crackers. Baby Jesus was a bit tricky. I was planning on using an unshelled peanut, but couldn't find any in the grocery store. We settled on marshmallows and a gumdrop. It looks like a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, right??? Mary and Joseph were cut out of rice krispie treats. Joseph's staff is a candy cane. Mary's robe and head covering are made out of a fruit rollup. (My brother-in-law was quick to call her Little Red Riding Hood. Thanks a lot, Corey!) And, for the grand finale, the hay was made out of Shredded Wheat.

The only problem came when marshmallow-loving Clayton wanted to eat Baby Jesus.... I had to veto that. ;)