The COVID-19 pandemic has led to cancellations and alterations of many holiday events, but it hasn't stopped one tradition -- the Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa's annual gingerbread house.
Carmen Jones, the Arlington's director of operations, said that the giant gingerbread house consists of 250 pounds of gingerbread and 250 pounds of icing this year.
"COVID's taken a lot of things this year, but we will definitely have the gingerbread house," Jones said.
The tradition is believed to have started in 1983, Jones said.
While the gingerbread house has been in the lobby for decades, one feature, a model train that runs through its grounds, is newer. This is only the second year that the Greater Hot Springs Garden Railway Society has set a train up for the display.
While the train proved popular last year, both Jones and Murph Tetley, the leader of G.H.S.G.R.S., said that the display had issues. Jones said that last year the tracks would easily overheat, forcing them to have to switch off the train multiple times a day.
"Last year we had a two-day notice. It worked, but it didn't run great," said G.H.S.G.R.S. member Bob Cross.
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The train tracks would get too hot from sitting on the hotel's marble floor, Jones said.
"So this year, what we did was we build this frame to set it off the (ground)," Cross said.
"Last year I got called (and) we did it in about 10 seconds. This year we had time to do it right," said Tetley. Joining Tetley and Cross in putting the display together was Tetley's brother-in-law Larry Gray, of Kansas City, who was visiting Tetley for Thanksgiving.
"It's just fun," Gray said when asked why he was helping. "It's fun. I mean, we're in the season to be jolly," Tetley said.
Jones said that the train was a big hit last year, particularly with children. "Oh, the kids love the train," she said. "When you get to be a grandparent, you want to see kids having a blast," Tetley said.
The train in the lobby is not the only one that G.H.S.G.R.S. runs. Tetly said that they also run the trains at Garvan Woodland Gardens.
According to its website, G.H.S.G.R.S. is part of a group of people and businesses that support Garvan Woodland Gardens, specifically the G Scale Garden Railroad. Built 15 years ago, the train garden went through a major restoration, with additions and upgrades, in 2016.
Tetley also said that he is impressed with how the gingerbread house turned out this year. "This is fabulous this year. It's way more defined."
Jones said that a lot of time was put into building the house this year. "I know I put in over 100 hours," she said.
Melanie Hancock, of accounting and payroll, said that she also spent around 40 hours on the house. Between everyone who worked on it, Jones said that "at least a couple hundred hours" were spent on the house.
Hancock said that she liked how it turned out. "I love it this year," she said, while noting how much effort Jones put in to the project. Hancock said that the house is usually worked on by members of the kitchen, but because of the pandemic, they didn't have time.
Due to the pandemic, Jones said that the hotel will not be able to have a celebration for the gingerbread house this year. However, she said that all are welcome to come see the house.