Visions of gingerbread shaped into a snow-covered White House, a Waffle House with Santa’s sleigh outside, and a huge Florida Theatre are some of the creations prepared for this year’s Gingerbread Extravaganza.

The 23rd annual event will take place at a new venue — the Jacksonville History Center at 318 Palmetto St.

After more than 15 years at the historic Old St. Andrews Church Downtown, the Jacksonville Historical Society moved its calorie-laden fundraiser to its new display and conservation center in what used to be the Florida Casket Co.

When the extravaganza opens Dec. 13, visitors can gaze at 41 cookie and candy creations on display most days through Dec. 27 at an event right behind VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.

Sarah Taft’s “Walk Through The Bible” design, with gingerbread Mary, Joseph and Jesus under a backlit cookie Star of Bethlehem, sits among the towering Christmas trees and other decorations in the extravaganza’s new home

The entry was judged the winner of a “Best Religious” award. It actually was her second version. The first one was entered into the National Gingerbread House Competition in Asheville, North Carolina, where it remains through Jan 4.

Yes, it took a while to do two of them, but she said she wanted to.

“I love it, and I also wanted to spread the love of Jesus. Mine does talk about the Gospel, and I was able to put lights in this one,” said Taft, a five-time extravaganza entrant. “No glue — it is all royal icing gluing it together.

“The first one for national competition took 83 hours, and then for this one, I knew what I was doing more, so I cut it down to 53 hours.”

Parked in the middle of the large holiday display is a gingerbread lighthouse with wreaths and trees made of icing, winner of the “Best Tiny Town” award.

This was the first time Emma and Eric Hansen had entered the event. The design was a natural for them. Plus, they just started a local company that makes baking tools, including an adjustable rolling pin that “worked out great,” she said.

“Since we are in Florida and by the beach, we might as well do something that would represent the area a little bit and use the St. Augustine Lighthouse as inspiration,” Emma Hansen said. “It took a couple of all-nighters, until 10:30 a.m. once before we were set to come in — probably 20 or 30 hours from planning to construction. We made a little model first out of paper.”

History of the Gingerbread Extravaganza

The Gingerbread Extravaganza began in 2003, started by The Rotary Club of South Jacksonville as a fundraiser to benefit other nonprofits, including the Historical Society.

In 2010, the society began hosting it. Ticket sales and donations benefited its educational programs and archival repository. Until last year, the event was held inside the 136-year-old Old St. Andrews Church at 317 A. Philip Randolph Blvd.

But now the Historical Society has opened its three-story museum, event and conservation center. CEO Alan Bliss said there are many reasons the show was moved there — not the least of which was that parking conflicts with the old church near the arena, VyStar Ballpark and EverBank Stadium.

“This facility makes it a lot easier for people to park and attend the event any time of the day,” Bliss said. “But for our staff and volunteers to be able to stage this event, this is much more user friendly. It is also more square footage. And finally, having it here at the History Center helps the gingerbread event connect to our mission, our identity and what we do.”

Work on this year’s event started as early as July for some of the entrants, who unveiled their creations at a grand opening celebration last week shepherded by the society’s chief of staff, Kate Hallock.

All 41 displays — from a sprawling depiction of Venice’s Grand Canal during Christmas, to a detailed depiction of Feeding Northeast Florida and its food pantry — are shown on big tables near an expanded gift shop as well.

“It is getting up into record numbers. We had a couple of years where it dipped down to the 30s, but we are glad to have participation and engagement here,” Bliss said.

More gingerbread creations

A model railroad chugs around the centerpiece of the main table, as more than a dozen towering Christmas trees (including an upside-down SpongeBob Squarepants mermaid) decorated by the Junior League of Jacksonville surround intricate miniature houses, elves and Santas.

There is even a swampy stump with mice in its doorway and a frog on a dock nearby. An intricate water lily floats in a frozen sugar swamp with fish embedded inside.

The creation, this year’s Best in Show winner, was a labor of love for Sara Aicher, a veteran of 11 years of creating gingerbread designs for the event. The idea was born from her love of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in Folkston, Georgia, where she works and still lives.

“Everybody wanted me to do something with swamp, and I could never quite figure out what to do. And this year, it happened and I did the story of a swamp,” she said. “It took about three weeks to put it all together, pretty constant, and the part I was kind of experimenting with was the water and trying to get that so you can see the things underneath. There are some fish below it.”

The estimated $50,000 to $100,000 in financial gifts and ticket sales this year will help with the operational expenses of the society, Bliss said. He credits many volunteers for what visitors will see starting with Saturday’s grand opening.

“We really appreciate the tremendous support of the sustainers of the Jacksonville Junior League — all these beautiful Christmas trees are individually decorated and all original” he said. “The South Jacksonville Rotary comes up every year and helps us get everything set up, helps do the electricity, lighting, placement and tables.”

Show info

Dec. 13, the opening day, will be Kids Day, with Santa Claus, face-painting artists, scavenger hunt, food truck and more. There also will be Gingerbread by Candlelight from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Dec. 18 — an after-work event with live music. Admission is $20 per adult, including two beverages.

The display is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily and is closed Dec. 23 to 25.

Tickets are $10 for adults, $7 for military and seniors, and $5 for children 4 to 12. Check the show calendar here.

2025 winners

• Best in Show: Special Delivery by Sara Aicher

• Best Fantasy: Adult (22-60), Nutastic Nutmas by Lynette Bracy; senior (60+), Santa’s Last Stop: Waffle House by Tracy and David Duncan; youth (to age 12), Butterfly Lake by the Honeycutt Family.

• Best Historical: Adult (22-60), Take Me to the Movies: The Florida Theatre by Tannis Lasiuta; senior (60+), Henry Klutho House by TJ Fortin-Wolf; young adult (13-21), Christmas in Venice by Bertha Flores, Ignacio Garcia-Huidobro, Sofia Garcia-Huidobro, Isabella Garcia-Huidobro; youth (to age 12), Camp Kateri Bunkhouse by Girl Scout Troop 63007.

• Best Religious: Adult (22-60), Walk Through the Bible by Sarah Taft

• Best Traditional: Adult (22-60), The Grinch! By Tannis Lasiuta; senior (60+), Holiday Brownstones by Peggy Harrell Jennings; young adult (13-21), Home is Where the Hearth Is by Averly Dulls; youth (to age 12), French Café by Wilda Vargo.

• Tiny Town: Adult (22-60), Guiding Santa’s Sleigh by Emma Rusnak and Eric Hansen; senior (60+), Going With the Wind by Barbara Perkins; young adult (13-21), Poker-Mint Palace by Alyson Tucei.