A Christmas Tradition: Conner Prairie

It seems that a day at Conner Prairie has become an annual tradition for my family. It’s close to home and offers a unique Christmas experience- gingerbread. I haven’t come across anything quite like it in the area. Plus, Conner Prairie has a nice indoor play space that the kids love.

We first visited Conner Prairie for Christmas in 2008 and repeated that visit in 2009.

Last year, we were treated to an outdoor day at Conner Prairie and I’d hoped for a repeat- but only the indoor part was open. However, the gingerbread display did not disappoint. Best of all, I ended up running into a friend I made through MomsLikeMe- and she’s one of my favorite people- so the day was extra special. One of the highlights of running into my friend was that Teagan got to take her to see the gingerbread (my friend’s son didn’t want to- he just wanted to play). It was a special time for Teagan and I know she really loved that time with our friend.

We really needed it to be special given how the day had started out. And it was. We had a great couple of hours at Conner Prairie and ended the day in a special way- more about that tomorrow.

My kids will do gingerbread houses at school on Friday (sugar high!!!) and will either do a house with Daddy at home or at Grandma’s house on Christmas day.

On to the pictures- I love the creativity and hard work that goes into these projects!

This was fun- classic Fisher Price toys done in gingerbread!

A lovely green castle- that was decorated outside and in!!

An amateur entry of Hogwarts. Being a Harry Potter fan, I had to admire the work!

I loved the chocolate rock candy used on the chimney of this one.

This was cool- it was on a rotating platform. 4 houses representing gingerbread in all four seasons.

The details on this one was amazing! This was the Queen of Hearts Castle from Alice in Wonderland.

My kids were quite taken by the burger and fries- they thought it was really clever!

I loved the giant mug of hot cocoa with the peppermint stick. It was pretty and cozy.

Another one where the details knocked my socks off- a Christmas library. It was done by a mom and daughter who wanted to incorporate their favorite things into their piece.

Several entries done of buildings at Conner Prairie- this is the town Inn.

The Lenape Indiana village.

And the pièce de résistance is the Conner Homestead:

Love the detail here- if you look closely, you can see the horseshoe marks behind the horse along the side of the house!

Have you done gingerbread this year? My mom usually makes her own- it’s edible but not tasty but great for building. At school, they will create in the format I grew up with- graham crackers and icing. At home, Jeff might break out a kit or try something else. We might not have time to try it on our own at this year. But something about the holidays and gingerbread (and, as far as the kids are concerned, candy!!!) certainly sets a holiday tone for our family!