Extreme Gingerbread Contest at Our House

I am sharing photos of our wacky & fun Thanksgiving night tradition. We decorate (pre-assembled) gingerbread houses to the hilt, and fill them with firecrackers. We are very competetive! We have friends vote for the winning creation. Our one rule: Everything used to decorate must be edible. (or at least, it has to have been edible at one time..as in: old Halloween candy, stale pretzels/cereal/crackers/cookies/gum/ice cream cones, cinnamon-applesauce dough, etc...) On New Year's Eve, we blow them up at midnight! This has been great fun for our family and friends! This is something that ALL my kids and their friends have looked forward to doing each year. (They are ages 16, 18 & 22!) Every year, the houses get more elaborate. This year, my daughter & her boyfriend made a gingerbread TANK from scratch. Enjoy our offbeat take on gingerbread houses. We call it "EXTREME GINGERBREADING"...