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WATCH: Mother-daughter duo bakes hundreds of gingerbread houses for a good cause

After losing their husband and father, who was a beloved community Santa for decades, the two decided to give back in his honor.

Mother-daughter duo bakes hundreds of gingerbread houses for a good cause

By: Cameron Polom

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MESA, AZ — In one Mesa neighborhood, holiday magic is baked from the heart.

For the past three years, mother-daughter duo Janie Schmolke and Judy Hall have spent a month crafting more than a hundred intricate gingerbread houses, each one a sugary work of art and a tribute to the man who inspired it all.

After losing their husband and father, who was a beloved community Santa for decades, the two decided to give back in his honor.

Their annual Christmas Gingerbread Village now draws crowds, raises donations, and fills hearts with all proceeds helping build a children’s library at the hospice that once cared so deeply for their family.