KYLE — The Gingerbread House in Kyle, a holiday attraction, is now open to the public for its fifth year. Started in 2020 by Kristine Lilly, the Gingerbread House is colorful and magical, bringing in the holiday spirit to Kyle.
PHOTO BY MIKEY BROWN
The Gingerbread House in Kyle counts down to Santa’s arrival.
The Gingerbread House is a childhood dream for Lilly. Her earliest memories of the holiday season include making edible gingerbread houses with her mother and just marveling over them, leading her to start making them professionally in her twenties after her husband — who had never had gingerbread before they met — convinced Lilly to start selling them.
“Those gingerbread houses were just magical. There’s something nostalgic about it … Every time I’m making a batch of gingerbread, which is daily at this point, it brings me right back,” Lilly shared. “The smell of it brings me right back to being a kid. [There is] something very sensitive about our olfactory senses that puts you right back to that childhood place.”
When her children couldn’t come home for Christmas in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lilly looked for ways to bring some holiday cheer to those who couldn’t be with their families, as well. The Gingerbread House was her way of sharing the holiday spirit and it’s only grown since.
“Now, I’ve always made gingerbread cookies. I’ve made gingerbread houses for over 20 years and sold them, but to do this was something I have never done before,” said Lilly.
There was a bit of a learning curve when it came to making Lilly’s house into a gingerbread dream. Originally, she used white bed sheets and duct tape, where now, they use corrugated plastic wrapped in duct tape to make the pillars of Lilly’s home look like candy canes, with decorative candies made from styrofoam plates and faux cardboard icing stuck onto the house with magnets. Lilly noted how the original color of the house was perfect for the gingerbread vibe.
Wanting to make a difference in her community, Lilly added an additional piece to her holiday attraction in 2021. She invited people to bring canned goods and food items for the Hays County Food Bank (HCFB), which is her way of helping out those with food scarcity during the holiday season. While the community can donate food on any night, there are two specific benefit nights on Dec. 7 and 14, where people can also bring donations for the HCFB and receive free hot chocolate, made by Lilly. On these nights, Lilly said that they collect up to 700 pounds of food for donation.
“The more awareness we can bring to food insecurity, the happier I am,” said Lilly.
The Gingerbread House isn’t just for admiring, either. Lilly sells her edible gingerbread creations during the holiday season out of her home. She also has a store on her front porch of the Gingerbread House, where she sells gingerbread and sugar cookies, as well as cupcakes, hot chocolate and other sweet treats. The front porch store is open 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays in December. Lilly encourages people to come by and take pictures, as well as bring HCFB food donations, throughout the week.
The Gingerbread House in Kyle continues to grow every year and Lilly has some ideas for its direction.
“I have some ideas, but I would like a brick-and-mortar store and I would like for my focus to be on food insecurity challenges,” said Lilly. “I’m not sure exactly how I would incorporate that into a business plan, but I also want to work with kids and somehow work to get them in college.”
During the benefit night on Dec. 7, Lilly collected approximately 500 pounds of food. The upcoming benefit night is from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Dec. 14, located at 285 McGarity in Kyle. Lilly will be handing out hot chocolate to those who bring food donations and will have holiday baked goods for sale.
