Apparently, I dove into the Christmas spirit, because I’ve been obsessed with all things Christmas. Today, I even bought a miniature Christmas tree to put on my desk at work. Eh, it was only .59 at AC Moore.

Yesterday, I took a Christmas tour of Mount Vernon, home of George and Martha Washington, with the Junior League of Northern Virginia. This was the first time that I saw the George Washington museum and new visitor’s center. I ate lunch with other League members at the restaurant and got the recipe for peanut-chestnut soup, which was perfect for a cold, snowy day. What impressed me the most was the gingerbread house that nearly perfectly resembled the manor house.

This is the side that faces the Potomac River.

This is the front entrance side.

The gingerbread house was designed by Roland Mesnier, former pastry chef at the White House. He is incredible. All of his past designs were always so whimsical. I couldn’t help but compare it to the 2009 White House gingerbread house, which just wasn’t that exhilarating.