From Whoville to 'White Lotus'! Gingerbread Battle Raises Cash — and a Few Eyebrows

From Whoville to 'White Lotus'! Gingerbread Battle Raises Cash — and a Few Eyebrows

Members of team Grinch Please build their gingerbread house

GALVANIZED BY DRAG performer Duckie DuJour, more than 30 teams gathered in Montrose to build one-of-a-kind gingerbread houses — for a cause.


At the Kindred Montrose church, the seventh annual competition, benefiting the local nonprofit Grace Place, was the biggest yet. Entries included homages to television shows Wednesday, The White Lotus and Yellowstone, plus Dolly Parton, naturally, and other icons. The winner was titled “Grinch Please,” a multi-tiered, table-length depiction of Grinch ascending Mount Crumpit.

Grace Place is a Houston based non-profit who empowers youths of all sexualities and gender identities who are experiencing homelessness. “Grace Place is a special organization, and it’s only able to exist because of the generosity of our Houston community,” said President of the Board of Directors Natalie Ferguson, “and we are incredibly grateful for everyone’s support this year.”

Event sponsor Randy Owens and Family

A young competitor enjoys her sweet creation

Competition team working on gingerbread house

A Yellowstone themed gingerbread house

Grace Place Board President Natalie Ferguson and members of Houston Gaymers

Grace Place Executive Director Courtney Sellers with first place team Grinch Please

Members of team Grinch Please build their gingerbread house

Parties

Jacob Hilton, a.k.a. Travid Halton, at home in his kitchen, where he enjoys cooking as a form of therapy.

PINK FLOYD'S THE Wall. Sinatra’s In the Wee Small Hours. Beyonce’s Lemonade. Three divergent examples of the album as a cathartic, psychological, conceptual work, meant to be experienced in a single sitting. Houston singer-songwriter Jacob Hilton, 37, who records as Travid Halton, a portmanteau of his mother and father’s names, might balk at being mentioned in such company. (This is a thoroughly unpretentious man, who describes himself as an “archaeologist turned singer-songwriter.”)

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Art + Entertainment

How did you get to where you are today? The present moment is a combined history of my family, my time as an athlete, my passion for learning, and my desire to see the world be better. I grew up as a successful springboard and platform diver, however, an injury caused me to seek alternative treatments to heal my body. In that process, I discovered the power of yoga, exercise, meditation, mindset, and nutrition. This holistic approach eventually led me to open a Pilates and cycling studio called DEFINE body & mind. I opened studios around the nation, and after selling most of my business between 2017-2019, I was ready to explore how I could make an even greater impact on the wellbeing of our community. In 2023, I started actively working on a brand new multi-family/apartment concept called, Define Living. The idea focused on offering health and wellness services within a beautiful apartment setting to increase the wellbeing of our residents. Having a strong sense of community is the number one factor in living a happy life, so why not build a community where daily fitness, cooking classes, and social connection are the norm? We opened Define Living in March of 2024, and we couldn’t be happier with how things are being received. We are already looking at building more concepts like this in the Houston area and beyond.

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