Parade of Gingerbread Houses 2025

Use this opportunity to market your holiday promotions!




Description:
You decorate a gingerbread house and display in your business.  The general public will be able to vote for the best decorated house by placing money in a voting box.  The money raised through voting will go to St. Isidore Church to support their programs for the homeless. The business who raises the most will help present the check to St. Isidore and be included in the press release.  The Chamber will help market the businesses to the general public to increase traffic. The public will receive a map to be stamped at each business.  Once the map is completed, the map can be submitted to be entered into a random draw raffle to win $200.

NEW this year we are offering you the opportunity to display your house in the Chamber's Gingerbread Village for the Festival of Lights, Tree Lighting, Kris Kringle Market and Chamber Open House night on Saturday, Nov. 29th. This is optional and your house must be delivered by Nov. 18th to be included.  This night Old Town is full of hundreds and maybe thousands of people, lets build on the exposure and get your business in front of them. Businesses will also have the opportunity to include any items on the Chamber gift table.  Residents join us for our Open House for free refreshment and free gifts. You may then leave your house at the Chamber office, or take it back to your business. 

Details:

• Businesses must commit by November 20th so maps can be printed and distributed in time!
• Houses should be displayed for voting from November 29^th – January 5, 2026.
• Residents will pick up a Map at each participating business or may download from BloomingdaleHolidays.com website. They receive a stamp at each business, each stamp is an entry into the raffle. Complete the entire map and entries into the raffle are DOUBLED! 
• Businesses must return their voting box to the Chamber office by January 7th . The winning business will help present a check to St. Isidore Church. 
• $30 fee per business to participate to help cover the expenses & prizes.  
• Business creates their own gingerbread house. Kits are not included. 
• The Chamber will provide the voting boxes, the business is responsible for keeping the boxes safe from theft and returning the box.
• House(s) may be made by staff or contracted out to a professional
• The house does not have to be a house, it can be a store, barn, church, train, be creative.
• House(s) may be multiple smaller houses or one house
• All components of the house(s), except the base, must be made entirely of edible material. No wood, cardboard, wire or other non-edible material may be used on the construction or decorating of the house.  Only exceptions are candies which contain non-edible material such as a lollipop.
• Marketing across platforms: Social Media, Daily Herald, Village Enewsletter, Village Almanac, Eblasts, Posters, Community Banners & Flyers.
• Businesses may offer those following the Parade of Gingerbread Houses a special promotion for stopping by their business. At registration choose Special Promotion to highlight your business on the map.
• A website was set up for the Holiday Promotions with rules:  www.BloomingdaleHolidays.com 
• To kick of the parade, we are offering the first 5 who send in their map with 3 stamps, will receive a gift card. If you would like to donate a gift card you will receive additional recognition. If we have more than 5 donate gift cards, we can increase the incentive or add another for the first 6 stamps.