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6th Annual • December 2026

Gingerbread House Contest

Stroll downtown, find the gingerbread houses, and vote for your favorite, all while raising awareness of our mission of safe and stable homes for our neighbors.

Vote for your favorite
See the map
Orange nails
Two women standing with a GingerBread House Contest trophy.

How to vote

Find the houses

Use the map to visit any of the downtown host sites, Dec 5–20.

Note your favorite

Each house has a sign with its ID number (ex. #5).

Cast your vote

Scan a QR code on site or vote online by Dec 13. One vote per email.
Vote for your favorite

Winners announced live on YouTube and social media, [TBD]. Watch here

2025 Gingerbread House Contest Participant Map

Host Sites

  • The Aroma Labs
  • Bimbo’s Pizza
  • The Black Arts & Cultural Center
  • Earthly Delights at Amy Zane
  • Gazelle Sports
  • The Spirit of Kalamazoo
  • Uncle Buddy’s Toy Stash
  • Rocket Fizz
  • Discover Kalamazoo
  • The Station
  • The Epic Center
  • Colors & Cocktails
  • Cherri’s Chocol’art
  • MRC Artworks
  • Kzoo in the Mitten
  • Honor Credit Union
  • Spice and Tea Merchants
  • Pop City Popcorn
  • Kalamazoo Public Library
  • The Radisson
  • 1st Source Bank
  • Kalamazoo Climate Crisis Coalition
  • Abonmarche Byce
  • Kalamazoo Candle Company/Zero
  • Climb Kalamazoo
  • Bee Joyful
  • HighDive Kitchen + Bar
  • The Kalamazoo House Bed & Breakfast
  • MRC Artworks
  • Kzoo in the Mitten
  • CARE Collective
  • The Kalamazoo Promise
  • Paul Marquardt
  • KVCC Culinary Students
  • Brendon Mendoza (The Morning Dish inside The Radisson)
  • Advia Credit Union
  • WMU Dining Services
  • Kalamazoo Counseling and Wellness
  • 1st Source Bank
  • Inform Architecture
  • Atlas Counseling and
    Psychotherapy Services
  • Kalamazoo College Advancement and Parkhurst Dining
  • Kalamazoo Climate Crisis Coalition
  • Tom and Sandy George
  • WMU Government Relationships and External Partnerships
  • Brianna LaBelle-Hahn & Jordan Uhlian
  • Disability Network
  • Kzoom
  • HighDive Kitchen + Bar
  • Kzoo Cream
  • Kalamazoo County MDHHS Foster Care Home Licensing
  • Duncan Aviation
  • WMU Libraries
  • Julie Harlan/Jaqua
  • The Rackley Family
Nancy Loftis Headshot

Nancy Loftis

Advia Credit Union

Clarence Lloyd Headshot

Clarence
Lloyd

Southwest Michigan First Chamber

Jen Strebs Headshot

Hon. Jen Strebs

Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners

Michelle Pittel Headshot

Michelle Pittel

Consumers Energy Helping Neighbors Program

Jay Morris Headshot

Jay
Morris

Midwest Communications

Have a question about Homes for the Holidays?

Reach out
2025 Judges Choice Award Professional

Judges’ Choice Professional

2025 Judges Choice Award Amateur

Judges’ Choice
Amateur

2025 Iconic Structure Award

Iconic Structure

2025 Pop Culture Award

Pop Culture

2025 Imagine Kalamazoo Award

Imagine Kalamazoo

2025 Fantasy Award

Fantasy

2025 People's Choice Award 1st Place

People's Choice
1st place

2025 People's Choice Award 2nd Place

People's Choice
2nd Place

2025 People's Choice Award 3rd Place

People's Choice
3rd Place

Award Categories

Every entry is in the running for a custom trophy, hand-built to match the year. Our panel of local celebrity judges awards six categories:

  • Judges’ Choice Professional
  • Judges’ Choice Amateur
  • Iconic Structure of Kalamazoo
  • Pop Culture
  • Imagine Kalamazoo
  • Fantasy

You decide the rest. The three entries with the most public votes take home People’s Choice first, second, and third place.

Past Winners

A gingerbread cathedral with illuminated blue windows and a glowing circular rose window, selected as the Community Homeworks Kalamazoo Judges’ Choice winner by Brandon Mendoza.

Professional Builder Entry

Brendon Mendoza from
The Morning Dish
Radisson Plaza Hotel

A gingerbread house model with a flat, icing-covered roof, a rectangular blue pool, and two small snowmen, named the winner of a Community Homeworks Kalamazoo amateur gingerbread house contest.

Amateur Builder Entry

Inform Architecture, displayed at Gazelle Sports

Gingerbread house replica of a Kalamazoo College building with red doors, two small Christmas trees, and signage for Parkhurst Dining that serves as community homeworks inspiration.

Iconic Structure

Kalamazoo College, displayed at Kalamazoo Candle Co.

A gingerbread conservatory for the Community Homeworks Kalamazoo Homes for the Holidays contest, decorated with green icing and tiny lights, featuring a sign that reads “George’s Christmas Tree Farm.”.

Pop Culture

Tom George, MD, displayed at Aroma Labs

A fantastical gingerbread house with blue icing, candy details, and a dark substance pouring from a wide mouth-like opening, recognized as the Fantasy category winner at the Community Homeworks Kalamazoo Homes for the Holidays contest.

Fantasy

MRC Artworks, displayed at MRC Artworks

A gingerbread house designed as a green home with a roof of wafer cookies and nori, standing beside a Community Homeworks Kalamazoo sign for a green tiny home.

Imagine Kalamazoo

Kalamazoo Climate Crisis Coalition, displayed at KCCC

People's Choice 1st

Brendon Mendoza from
The Morning Dish
Radisson Plaza Hotel

A gingerbread house display by Community Homeworks in Kalamazoo, featuring a wooden bridge, candy decorations, and signs for the Disability Network Southwest Michigan that note it won second place for the People’s Choice Award.

People's Choice 2nd

Disability Network of Southwest Michigan, displayed at the Epic Center

A gingerbread house decorated as an “Advia Express” train with candy accents, displayed in a window with Community Homeworks Kalamazoo contest winner signage.

People's Choice 3rd

Advia Credit Union, displayed at Colors & Cocktails

A gingerbread high-rise building with purple lighting displayed on a table draped with a red fabric garland, reminiscent of a Community Homeworks Kalamazoo project.

Professional Builder Entry

Brendon Mendoza from
The Morning Dish
Radisson Plaza Hotel

A gingerbread house labeled “Kalama Zoo” for Community Homeworks, surrounded by gingerbread animals including lions, a flamingo, and two alligators near a pond, set on a plaid tablecloth in front of a Christmas tree.

Amateur Builder Entry

Kalamazoo Counseling & Wellness
The KalamaZOO

A gingerbread house styled as a government building for Community Homeworks Kalamazoo, with “2024” spelled out on the roof and a marshmallow snowman on the side.

Iconic Structure

WMU’s Office of University Advancement
WMU Heritage Hall

A gingerbread ark decorated with candy and fondant animals, including a ramp with small figures, set on a blue patterned tablecloth as part of a Community Homeworks Kalamazoo display.

Pop Culture

Sandy and Tom George 
Noah’s Ark Scene

A gingerbread beer hall model featuring peppermint stool tables and snowflake-adorned walls, crafted for a Community Homeworks Kalamazoo project.

Fantasy

HighDive Kitchen + Bar
Interior Bar Scene

A gingerbread high-rise building with purple lighting displayed on a table draped with a red fabric garland, reminiscent of a Community Homeworks Kalamazoo project.

People's Choice 1st

Brendon Mendoza from
The Morning Dish
Radisson Plaza Hotel

A gingerbread house and lighthouse decorated with icing, candy, and a small snowman figure, set on a beach and ocean base inspired by Community Homeworks Kalamazoo.

People's Choice 2nd

Erin Schultz from Schultz’s Treat Street/Schultz Sweets
Lighthouse

Three gingerbread houses decorated with candy and icing on a snowy base, featuring an Advia Credit Union sign and a frozen pond, created for Community Homeworks Kalamazoo.

People's Choice 3rd - Tie

Advia Credit Union
Wintery Village Scene

A gingerbread house interior featuring an elevator, a Western Michigan University desk, gingerbread figures, and candy decorations on a checkerboard floor, captured for Community Homeworks Kalamazoo.

People's Choice 3rd - Tie

WMU Dining Services
Interior Bakery Scene

Thank you to our 2025 sponsors

Presenting

Advia Credit Union Logo

Santa

Helios Solar Logo
Consumers Energy Logo

Elves

Temperature Pro Logo
WKZO Logo
Old National Bank Logo

Rudolph

1st Source Bank Logo
Treystar Logo
First National Bank of Michigan Logo

Adopt-a-Home

Climb Kalamazoo Logo

Sponsor the sweetest event on the block.

Sponsoring the Gingerbread House Contest puts your business in front of thousands of downtown visitors through the holidays, and it funds critical home repairs for Kalamazoo neighbors who need them.
Become a sponsor
Group celebrating their Gingerbread House Contest win.