Prairie Creek Library gingerbread house display a Christmas tradition

Patrons and staff at the Prairie Creek Branch Library at 9609 Lake June Road enjoy the gingerbread house display almost as much as the person responsible for it.

“This is an annual display done by one of our favorite patrons,” said Prairie Creek Library Branch Manager Janelle Valera. “What makes it so special is that it’s part of a family tradition which Ms. Bryant does with her grandnieces every year.”

For the past several years, Yarlette Bryant and her grandnieces have been making the gingerbread houses in the display, which also includes pictures of the children making the houses and a selection of gingerbread-themed books.

“I began making gingerbread men with the children, then we would read the story about the Gingerbread Man,” Bryant said. “The next year, we decided to make a gingerbread house, and we visited Baylor Hospital to see their gingerbread houses on display.”

That gave her the idea of keeping the gingerbread houses they made and doing a display at her branch library. Prairie Creek staff enthusiastically agreed, and an annual tradition was born. “We make new gingerbread houses every year, and my grandnieces (ranging in age from four to 11) love baking and decorating them,” Bryant said.