Candy Cane Hearts
by Emily Reed
The smell of gingerbread wafted through the air as children and adults alike decorated their houses together. On a Saturday morning, the room was full and overflowing with the holiday spirit and warm fellowship.
In a sea of Christmas sweaters, I saw a young girl working with her mother to meticulously place the festive candy buttons in a checkered pattern across the roof. In contrast, another boy let his imagination soar and built a gum drop wreath and candy cane heart to place above the door. Those who were feeling especially artistic dripped icicles from the edges. And a group of kids had a contest to see who could heap the most candy on their house without it collapsing.
Once the kids were done decorating, us assemblers would put the pieces together and seal the edges with cement icing. In theory, the cement should have held the house together but the icing became warm and bared a resemblance to Elmer's glue. It was reliable for sticking on skittles but ineffective for keeping the house together.
Luckily, this forced us assemblers to receive help from the small children. We'd ask them to hold one side as it dried and we glued the other. As we waited, I asked them what they wanted for Christmas or what their plans were for the afternoon. They were happy to oblige and it made my time with the frustrating icing go much faster.
Despite the chaos and mess of marshmallows on the floor, everyone that attended had a wonderful time. It is yet to be determined if they enjoyed decorating or the fellowship more. Whatever their verdict may be, I'm glad I could help them put their houses together and spread a little joy.
In a sea of Christmas sweaters, I saw a young girl working with her mother to meticulously place the festive candy buttons in a checkered pattern across the roof. In contrast, another boy let his imagination soar and built a gum drop wreath and candy cane heart to place above the door. Those who were feeling especially artistic dripped icicles from the edges. And a group of kids had a contest to see who could heap the most candy on their house without it collapsing.
Once the kids were done decorating, us assemblers would put the pieces together and seal the edges with cement icing. In theory, the cement should have held the house together but the icing became warm and bared a resemblance to Elmer's glue. It was reliable for sticking on skittles but ineffective for keeping the house together.
Luckily, this forced us assemblers to receive help from the small children. We'd ask them to hold one side as it dried and we glued the other. As we waited, I asked them what they wanted for Christmas or what their plans were for the afternoon. They were happy to oblige and it made my time with the frustrating icing go much faster.
Despite the chaos and mess of marshmallows on the floor, everyone that attended had a wonderful time. It is yet to be determined if they enjoyed decorating or the fellowship more. Whatever their verdict may be, I'm glad I could help them put their houses together and spread a little joy.