PELHAM – Dozens of kids participated in a Christmastime favorite – making gingerbread houses – at the Pelham Public Library on Saturday, Dec. 9.

Children lined both sides of a long white table inside of the program room at the library, selecting the perfect candies to use as decoration for their gingerbread houses. The possibilities were endless with candy canes, gumdrops, Skittles, peppermint, M&Ms and plenty of other candies to choose from.

Parents paid $5 in advance and $10 at the door for an all-inclusive evening of gingerbread houses.

As families filed into the room, kids picked the perfect spot on their canvas for library specialist Allison Moore to hot glue their gingerbread house into place. Each child was also given a bag of frosting and an empty ice cream cone to transform into a Christmas tree with colored sprinkles.

Some kids were all smiles as they stuck their candies onto their houses, while others concentrated intently on making sure each piece of candy was perfectly placed.

In a week’s time, families had three different opportunities to participate in a gingerbread house making class. Moore said a total of about 80 people signed up to participate in the classes.

“This is one of the library’s more popular events,” Moore said. “Our most popular Christmastime event would have to be between this and Snack Time with Santa.”

The gingerbread house class is so popular that there was a waitlist of families hoping to get in on the class.

The milk cartons used as the base of the gingerbread houses were donated by Barber’s Dairy. Moore said the company’s Birmingham office donated 1,800 milk cartons to the library.

“We now have enough milk cartons for years and years to come thanks to Barber’s,” Moore said.

Parents Gina and Tad Roose said this year marked their fourth time participating in the program. Their children Will and Laura Roose said they love participating in the event every year.

“It’s something they look forward to every year,” Tad Roose said.

“One of our special features is putting a star on top of the Christmas tree,” Will added. “I love it because you get to be creative and there are a lot of different decorations to choose from. Another good part is that you get to go to the library afterward and get books.”

Gina Roose said the event is perfect for parents because they get to go home afterward and don’t have to worry about the cleanup. She said her children’s creations are displayed on the dining room table.

Parent Maleah McMillan echoed Gina Roose’s words.

“The kids love being able to decorate the gingerbread houses and I love that we get to leave the mess here and I don’t have to clean my kitchen afterward,” McMillan said.

Moore said convenience is a major reason why the event continues to be successful year after year.

“We buy all of the candy and all of the supplies and the kids get to be as creative as they want, and the parents get to enjoy a fun holiday activity with their kids,” Moore said.

Moore said this year’s gingerbread house classes are bittersweet because it’s the last time the program will be held in the current library.

“It’s more sweet than bitter because we are looking forward to moving into the new library next year and possibly being able to offer more classes,” Moore said.