Springfield senior community builds giant gingerbread house with tape, paint and smiles

Susan Szuch, Springfield News-Leader
·3 min read
Cedarhurst of Springfield residents built and decorated this gingerbread house. It sits in the corner of their activity room.
Cedarhurst of Springfield residents built and decorated this gingerbread house. It sits in the corner of their activity room.

The gingerbread house began as part of a contest among Cedarhurst senior living communities in eight states. For the residents at Cedarhurst of Springfield's memory care community, it became about far more than the contest — though they did win best overall gingerbread house.

"It was the excitement, seeing the smiles, the laughter, the memories," said Cindy Holmes, dietary manager for Cedarhurst of Springfield. "Seeing (the residents) being able to get so involved in something and the pride that they took in that project.”

Nine residents and six Cedarhurst employees worked together for a couple months to create a 6-foot-by-6-foot gingerbread house in the activity room, according to Tammy Autrey, life enrichment director.

'A lot of smiles, a lot of laughter' went into building gingerbread house

Making a giant gingerbread house takes some trial-and-error. The Cedarhurst residents first tried pipes, then cardboard. And as the project grew, so did the list of supplies.

"Lots of duct tape, lots of glue, staples. We painted cups, bowls and K-cups from the coffee makers,” Autrey said.

Cedarhurst of Springfield resident Stephanie Crownover paints a plate to look like a piece of candy. The gingerbread house she and other residents built and decorated won best overall in a company-wide contest.
Cedarhurst of Springfield resident Stephanie Crownover paints a plate to look like a piece of candy. The gingerbread house she and other residents built and decorated won best overall in a company-wide contest.

Each day, the residents would spend a little time doing something, and on some days, it was their main focus. But amidst the hard work were "a lot of smiles, a lot of laughter," Autrey said.

One day, Autrey came in to find that resident Stephanie Crownover had made "logs" out of cardboard. That development led to residents decorating the inside just as much as the outside of the house — the structure boasts a fireplace, wall paper and even its own Christmas tree.

More Christmas cheer:Photos: Christmas parade brings thousands downtown

Having so many things in need of decoration helped bring everyone together.

“It was everyone working as a team, and I was amazed at how everyone just picked out something they could do and everyone else just admired it. No one was put off," Crownover said. "We all worked together, and every time someone came up with a good idea, that was a good idea. That’s why we had so many elements.”

Crownover, who Autrey says is Cedarhurst's resident artist, also built a cobblestone pathway that leads to the front door of the gingerbread house.

Fun for the whole family

While resident Lavon Johnson enjoyed helping decorate, her favorite part was showing her family.

"Every time they would come visit, she would bring them back (to the activity room) and show them the different things, and point out what she did," Autrey said.

Cedarhurst of Springfield resident Lavon Johnson paints a coffee pod to look like a gum drop. Johnson was one of nine residents who helped create and decorate a 6-foot-by-6-foot gingerbread house.
Cedarhurst of Springfield resident Lavon Johnson paints a coffee pod to look like a gum drop. Johnson was one of nine residents who helped create and decorate a 6-foot-by-6-foot gingerbread house.

The gingerbread house, which is big enough to crawl into, was a big hit with families as well as residents, who would often come in just to look at it. Kids loved climbing in and out of it, according to Autrey.

Though it meant people got to see the finished product, the completion of the gingerbread house was bittersweet for those at Cedarhurst.

For subscribers:'I want what everybody wants,' Afghan refugee says after a year of safety in Springfield

"When we finished it, it was kind of sad. It was happy, but kind of sad, because it was like, ‘What do we do now?’ We put so much time and energy and thought into doing it," Autrey said.

"It was totally unique, with all the ideas and the workmanship, and no one ever seemed to get tired of working on it. I’ll miss it. I really will," Crownover said.

A gingerbread house for all seasons

The gingerbread house will be sticking around, after all the time and effort put into it.

"We can't throw it out," Autrey said.

Stockings hang on a fireplace inside the 6-foot-by-6-foot gingerbread house built by residents and employees at Cedarhurst of Springfield's memory care community.
Stockings hang on a fireplace inside the 6-foot-by-6-foot gingerbread house built by residents and employees at Cedarhurst of Springfield's memory care community.

Well, and they're keeping it for another reason, too.

"We can't get it out" of the doors without tearing it down, Crownover said, laughing.

For now, the giant gingerbread house is staying in the activity room to bring joy even after Christmas decorations are packed away.

"We decided once we couldn’t take it out, we’d just start to change the theme with each holiday,” Crownover said. She's already planning how the residents will decorate it for Valentine's Day, Easter and even Fourth of July.

Susan Szuch is the health and public policy reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on Twitter @szuchsm. Story idea? Email her at sszuch@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Cedarhurst of Springfield residents build giant gingerbread house