Under Construction: Gingerbread Houses

11 December 2012Tokoni A, Hope ‘13

As expected, approaching exams cause our stress levels to rise. It’s not unusual for me to see my fellow Hope House girls studying in the library during their free time or working together in the common room to solve challenging problems. And after prep, it’s common to find Hope and Rogers Prefects going over chemistry or comparative government and politics homework in the Hope-Rogers foyer.

On Tuesday, Nov. 27, we took a well-deserved break from the last bit of prep to make gingerbread houses with our neighbors – the boys of Rogers House. Spread across the houses in small groups were Hope girls and Rogers boys working hard (while snacking hard) to build the best gingerbread house. With the hanging lights shining through the windows, tinsel on the walls and red and green icing on our fingers, the Christmas spirit was tangible and tasteable. At the end of the evening, when messy piles of icing, graham crackers and candy were seen strewn across every surface, it was clear that handiness is not a skill most of us possess, but despite our mostly-failed construction work, we had a great time working together and devouring our creations.

“At this time of year, it’s all too easy to get homesick – Winter Break is getting close and everyone is beginning to stress about exams” Charlotte D, Hope House Captain, said. “Making gingerbread houses is a fantastic tradition that gets people out of a rainy slump and having fun.” This proved to be true as the night grew on, for as the laughter and goofiness increased, our shoulders relaxed and all those stressful thoughts about exams and marks were temporarily forgotten.

This has been Hope and Rogers’ third year of gingerbread house decorating competition. Timothy L, Rogers House Captain, enjoyed his final year of the event. “It’s a tradition intended to let the boys and girls bond together and experience the pleasure of the upcoming Christmas time,” he said when asked about the event.

At the end of the evening, when the winning group was announced, there was only a small revolt from the losers – though all in good spirit! So thank you to our House Parents, Ms. Hedquist and Mr. Snow, and to the Rogers boys for helping the girls of Hope to create great memories and lasting traditions. See you next year!

Tokoni A, Hope ‘13

Where Students Choose To Be