Each year, students from all classes gather outside of Davison Hall in an attempt to secure a highly coveted spot in the annual gingerbread contest.
Some teams arrive to stake out a spot before the dining hall has stopped serving dinner the night before registration. This year, the first team in line calls themselves “the dashing demolishers.” Sophia Feria ’26, Rylee Bradshaw ’25, Mariana Stauble ’26, and Madeline Ellis ’26 arrived at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday evening. The team said that their primary motivation was not to freeze, so they went early to secure a spot in the Davison vestibule.
Team “watermelon helmets,” unfortunately, did not make it in time to secure a spot in the warmth. Instead, Jason Collopy ’26 and Christian Wetzel ’26 were huddled in sleeping bags just outside the door. “I think the people inside underutilized the inside because they were coming in and out, letting the cold in,” said Collopy.
Wetzel said they would feel some warmth each time the doors opened. “We got a taste of the sweet warmth but we don’t need it. We’re built differently,” he said.
Wetzel says the gingerbread registration is essential to getting in the holiday spirit. “At 6 a.m. we hear the hot chocolate cart with Christmas music going… It’s my favorite. I absolutely love it,” he said.
Members of “team early times,” Tyler Scopelites ’24, Hayden Furber ’27, and Benson Furber ’24, pitched a tent at 10:45 p.m. to camp out for gingerbread. This will be the first time that each of them compete in the gingerbread competition.
Scopelities said that friends who brought the team hot chocolate “saved the day.” They all agreed that having an in-person registration is a key part of Anselmian tradition. “After doing this and suffering in this freezing cold weather, it’s not fair for people to do it online,” said Sopelites.
It is important to note that Davison Hall has not mentioned the idea of an online registration, but The Crier sent out an online survey to determine whether students would support a digital queue if the proposal ever came forth. Out of 45 respondents, 27 said they prefer in person registration, while 18 would prefer online.
Reviewing the detailed results of the poll, the overall consensus was that an online registration would be beneficial for those who cannot wait in the line due to conflicts, like clinicals or the demands of academics. Some also cited concerns about sickness from sitting out in the cold.
Still, others brought up the potential of errors or technical difficulties if the contest went digital. Many respondents argued that the in person registration promotes community and fairness.
“One night of the school year, the community comes together and camps out. It’s a great chance to make new friends, connect with old friends, and make some great memories and stories. In a world of inauthenticity and online overload it’s a great avenue to do something real,” said Brendan Fedrizzi ’24.
“In person gives us a chance to wait in line and secure our spot, while an online registration would just be more about who is lucky enough to go online first. There are also usually spots open the morning of registration, so waiting in line is more of a tradition,” said Rome Spiniello ’26.
After everyone who waited in line registered on Wednesday morning, there were still 30 spots available. Later in the day, around 11:30 a.m., there were roughly 18 spots available.
The tradition of in person gingerbread registration doesn’t seem to be changing anytime in the near future. Now, the teams who registered must prepare to execute their plans at the actual gingerbread contest when they return from Thanksgiving break on Nov. 26.
