..while visions of gingerbread danced through their heads

Maybe there's something a little bit odd about having a gingerbread construction contest to raise funds for researching juvenile diabetes. Maybe these gingerbread houses aren't environmentally proper or particularly sustainable. But they are impressive. If you're in Seattle over the holidays, you can see them at the Sheraton Hotel until Jan 2nd and even help fund research on juvenile diabetes.
Some more examples are below.