When our grandkids were younger, Bill would always have me buy a gingerbread house that he would decorate with them. It started with Addie, and I think it went all the way down to Mylee, with Cole being the only grandchild that didn’t decorate a house with Papa Bill.

I spontaneously bought a gingerbread house this year, thinking maybe we could talk some of our grandkids into decorating it. The talking-into part likely would have been easy; however, the actually-undertaking-the-task is what made me take the box holding the gingerbread house and hide it behind my china cabinet in the dining room where none of the grandkids would stumble into finding it.

Sunday night, after watching the Broncos lose a sad game in which our QB was seriously injured, we ate a wonderful meal of short rib beef ragu over pasta that Court prepared. It was amazing, and a lovely surprise as I think short ribs are about my favorite food. In fact, Jen usually makes me short ribs for my birthday, but instead this year we dined out. So I was a happy camper.

After dinner, Alyx began bringing out boxes and bags of candy, and plates of gingerbread men. Then she revealed the piece de resistance — three lovely gingerbread houses for Kaiya, Mylee, and Cole to decorate. Bill and I sat back, happy that we were going to watch the decorating process. And then she offered Bill and I each a cookie to decorate. How could we refuse…..

At first, Bill was reluctant. It didn’t take long until the child side of him came out, and he began decorating a gingerbread dog. Though you can’t see it for all of the folderol on his cookie, it started out to be a black lab, and ended up being, well, maybe a crazed poodle…..

I asked him about the orange Mike-and-Ike on the dog’s rear end. “Is it his tail?” I naively asked. Of course, not. It was poop, because men never really get past the age of 12. They get older but not more mature. Poop, indeed.

As you can see, this is not true of women. My gingerbread girl is quite subtle and understated…..

All three of the kids’ gingerbread houses turned out really sweet. I have to admit, however, that Mylee was much more interested in eating the icing than placing it on her house and Cole put way more candy in his mouth than on his house. As for Kaiya, who has an artistic bent, did an outstanding job of decorating her entire house, down to the icicles on the windows and roof…..

We brought our cookies home because, frankly, who would want them besides us? They will rest on the plate until Christmas Eve, when I will toss them in the garbage with the Christmas wrapping…..