Gingerbread House Demolition

Like most kids do at some point in their lives, I once had a bit of an obsession with fire and burning little objects.  It wasn’t a huge deal.  I stuck to simple things like notebook paper and tissues.  My days of burning things came to an abrupt end when I tried to burn the end of a mechanical pencil and caused a serious stench in my room.  That was the end of that.

A few years ago my sister Sarah rekindled my obsession when she uttered this phrase a day or so after Christmas, “Let’s burn down the gingerbread house.”  And that is what we did.  With the help of my dad and some lighter fluid, we burnt that house down.

This year I wanted to get rid of my gingerbread house, but did not want to throw it away, and it was not meant to be eaten.  What was I to do?  Well, the only option seemed to be demolition by fire.  I wanted to do this on New Years Eve, but that did not exactly happen.  So, I tried again with much success about a week later.  The only thing I failed to consider was the can of jalapeños that I’d trapped inside my gingerbread house during construction remained in the house.  You probably know what happens to a can that is heated beyond what it can bear.  It definitely exploded.

It was a controlled burn, and no one was harmed.  I sat the house outside on the concrete and kept a close eye on it.  I highly recommend you try this at some point.  It is great fun and is a completely free form of entertainment.

Here is how it all went down.  From beginning to end.

1.  Pre-burned house.  So adorable!

2.  The burning begins.  I suggest starting a little fire inside the house to get things going.  I used a little tea light and some shredded paper.

3.  After a while, things really got going.

4.  I should have taken some in between shots, but this is what happens after some good burning time.  This is when Ben begins to complain about the smell.

5.  And in this picture you can see the can of jalapeños, post explosion.  Good times had by all.