The South Windsor Library wraps up the 14th annual Gingerbread House Festival – NBC Connecticut

Some people found a sweet escape from Sunday’s frigid winter temperatures. A chance to step out of the cold and into one different snowy environment.

It just felt like Christmas,” said Michael Mizla from Manchester.

“We try to do this every year,” says Susan, Mizla’s wife.

Sunday was the last day to check out a festive holiday tradition at the Wood Memorial Library and Museum in South Windsor – the 14th annual Gingerbread House Festival, which organizers say is one of the largest gingerbread house festivals in New England.

“People have made this their tradition,” said Carolyn Venne, library director. “We see the same extended family from Vermont every year, the day after Thanksgiving on opening day. So when people come to visit family locally, it becomes part of their tradition, and that makes it all meaningful to us.”

These gingerbread houses are on display in multiple rooms and floors of the library for weeks, from late November until just before Christmas.

“We probably range from about 75 to 150, and I think in a year we were around 200,” Venne said.

Venne says behind these intricate candy creations are bakers, students and community members.

At the end of the day, the gingerbread houses went to some lucky lottery winners or were donated to an area nursing home.

Those who needed to do some last-minute holiday shopping were catered for — just like the icing on the cake at these Graham Cracker homes — as people could visit the library’s “Ye Old Gingerbread Shoppe” and pick up some of the magic you could take home with you.

“The holidays are full of things you remember as a kid, so it just feels like the kind of tradition you’ll remember as you grow up.”

While Sunday was the last day to immerse yourself in these festive, edible villages, more holiday traditions are coming to the library, including a Christmas concert this Saturday at 1:30 p.m.