Admire Award-Winning SoCal Gingerbread Houses

Coming across a gingerbread house, as in a single, and singular, structure that encompasses the enchantment, whimsy, and candy-obsessiveness of the season?

It isn't an uncommon event, especially if you're popping by a friend's kitchen or your child's schoolroom during the second half of December.

But finding a veritable neighborhood of such houses, and award winners at that, is rather a harder task, unless you're visiting the Discovery Cube in Santa Ana or the Discovery Cube in Los Angeles.

For the science-focused museum, a place known for its hands-on, kid-cool experiments and activities, devotes a large swath of December, each and every year, to The Science of Gingerbread.

And, yes, a number of nifty and complex gingerbread houses created by the community.

Created for an annual competition, let us note, a contest that saw over 200 entries in 2018. And those entries, of course, all came together via math, and engineering, too, making this yearly to-do a perfect fit for the educational institution.

The judging portion of the gingerbread house competition has now wrapped, which means that the winners in several categories are currently on delightful display.

The 2018 OC winners include "Inspiring Women" (Best by an Organization), "Ghost Buster's X-mas House!!!" (Best Youth 5 & Under), and "A Tribute to Firefighters" (Best Science Theme).

As for the 2018 winners in Los Angeles? Look for "San Francisco" (Director's Award), "Esai's Magickal Countdown Apartment" (Best Holiday Theme), and "Franken-Gingerbread" (Best Youth 6-13).

If you're swinging by a Discovery Cube ahead of Christmas, and that's a terrific idea, especially since some local kids are already off from school, be sure to also check out the museum's seasonal activity-filled exhibits.

Those include The Elves Workshop, where you can "(t)inker like an elf, and construct a toy contraption," as well as the chance to design a Winter Sleigh.