Years ago, I worked at Rockefeller Center, where the humongous Christmas tree overlooks the main square. The tree is all glitz and glamour, full of charisma. There is a gilded romance about it all. Seeing it in person—feeling the cold breeze against my cheeks while the flags lining the square snapped against the poles and the skaters twirled on the ice rink below—never lost its magic.
(Curmudgeonly side note: the two worst days of the year at Rockefeller Center were the Christmas tree lighting event, because of the overwhelming crowds, and the St. Patrick’s Day parade. The bagpipes…all…day…long…) (For a decidedly less regal, more ostentatious experience, here’s how one neighborhood in Brooklyn does Christmas.)
These days I don’t get to Rockefeller Center often, and I look for quieter ways to get into the holiday spirit. Enter the Gingerbread Extravaganza. Elaborate gingerbread structures are created by New York City’s top bakeries and displayed for your viewing (sadly, not eating) pleasure. Each creation is an expression of this year’s theme, which is “Made in New York.” Some of these structures took weeks to make. They are all so clever and ingenious!
Beyond the fun of seeing the creations, there is a larger goal to raise money for a worthy organization, City Harvest. City Harvest helps feed 1.4 million New Yorkers in part by collecting about 136,000 pounds of food each day from restaurants, grocers, and corporate cafeterias; edible food which would otherwise be thrown into landfills.
By voting for your favorite gingerbread, you can help me raise money for City Harvest. Please vote by December 31 using the buttons below, and I’ll donate $1 for each vote. Voting buttons are at the end of this post.
The gingerbread structures were behind glass and positioned in front of mirrors, so I apologize in advance for the glare.
The Great White Gingerbread Way, depicting Times Square / Broadway Theater District. Everything you see is edible!
A close up of the little people waiting for the ball to drop on New Year’s Eve. What you can’t see is that they’re freezing their marzipan off.
Cookie Monster Takes a Bite Out of NYC. Is it wrong of me to want to take a bite out of Cookie Monster’s eyeball?
City Harvest Holidays. Everything here is edible–in this display and inside their trucks. The City Harvest organization delivered food to more than 500 community food programs around NYC this year.
These pigeons on top of the City Harvest truck are no dummies.
Fulton Fish Market in continuous operation since 1822.
One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish.
Gingerbread Dance Party. Can Santa do The Hustle?
I love that the gumdrops look like the dance floor in Saturday Night Fever.
Going Ape Over New York. Check out the reflections of the hotel Christmas tree.
Katchkie Farm Gingerbread Farmhouse. Katchkie is a year-round farming operation just north of NYC, providing sustainable CSA to the poor urbanites who don’t know a fondant squash from a gumdrop strawberry.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s. This was my favorite. So simple and elegant — just like Audrey. Holly Golightly says that at Tiffany’s “nothing very bad could happen to you there. If I could find a real life place that made me feel like Tiffany’s, then I’d buy some furniture and give the cat a name.”
[polldaddy poll=8545049]
Thank you for voting! Have a great weekend, everyone!
Aw, I love this kind of nonsense 😉
So much fun! Though I wish they had tasting samples. 🙂
What fun! I hope they had gingerbread samples afterwards. 🙂
Unfortunately, they didn’t! It smelled delicious though. 🙂
Your description of the Rockefeller Center Christmas scene made me feel all warm and fuzzy. Plus voting on stuff makes me happy – especially when it goes to a good cause. 🙂
Thank you! I’ll let you know next week which gingerbread creation got the most votes.
What a lovely idea! I love the little pigeons on the City Harvest truck – such cute details!
I was hoping the photos showed these little details. The bakers and decorators are so clever. They seem to have thought of everything.
As a pigeon-lover, I’m on the same page as Letizia: City Harvest all the way! Last year, the Citarella on the Upper West Side participated. They created a wonderful — and mouth watering version of the Flat Iron building. I am so jealous that you got to inhale the aroma of these fanciful creations. What a great idea at holiday-time.
I had a feeling you’d enjoy the pigeons. 🙂 I wouldn’t be surprised if they follow the City Harvest trucks the way seagulls follow fishing trawlers.
When I saw the pigeons I totally thought of you. Ha! Hope you had a good Christmas!
Fabulous!!! I love this kind of thing and you did a great job of photographing them ! Thanks for sharing!
I think these gingerbread creations would go perfectly with some tea from one of your fantastic teapots! 🙂
How fantastic!
Glad you enjoyed them! They are pretty amazing.
What a lovely idea, Jackie! Thank you so much for my donation 🙂 The detail on the Gingerbread Way is amazing! Though, yes, I wouldn’t mind a mouthful of Cookie Monster 🙂
Best wishes to you for 2015 and thanks for making me smile.
Yes, the details are incredible, especially on the Gingerbread Way. The bakers thought of everything, down to different hairstyles on each person. I was hoping that came through in the photos. Glad that this tickled your fancy. 🙂
What fun!! 🙂
Thank you, Cynthia! Glad you enjoyed it.
Duuuude this definitely looks like my kind of holiday…although tasting it would have been awesome … When do you think you get to taste these amazing creations. Loving Cookie Monster one, but the first one has such amazing detail. Nice post … Inspired some baking 🙂
I wish I had a smell-o-blog so you could get a whiff. These gingerbread creations smelled heavenly! If you make some, you’ll have to send them my way, a sort of payback for the inspiration, you know. 😉
What a wonderful display and great idea! I like the B at T concept but c’mon, there wasn’t much actual gingerbread involved in that one, was there?
Happy new year!
I thought this was such a fun way to celebrate the season. Happy New Year to you Peg!
loved the picture, it’s good
So fun! I went with dance party!
Your pick is in the lead. 🙂