The Gumdrop Games
Location: Candy Cane Commons, Santa’s Village
Date: Mid-August (annual event)
Type: All-Ages Community Competition
Theme Colors: Mint Green, Frosted Pink, and Gumdrop Purple
Every August, just as the summer sun begins to mellow and the scent of sugar hangs thick in the air, Santa’s Village hosts one of its most lighthearted and chaotic traditions: The Gumdrop Games. This whimsical, candy-themed competition brings elves, humans, and even the occasional reindeer into a joyous frenzy of laughter, teamwork, and silly athleticism.
🍠The Events
Participants form small teams—usually family units, school groups, or workshop departments—and compete in a series of candy-coated challenges:
- Peppermint Stick Javelin – Longest clean toss wins, but extra points are awarded for twirls and sparkles mid-flight.
- Gumdrop Carry Relay – Balance six gumdrops on a spoon while navigating a peppermint obstacle course.
- Sleighbell Toss – Toss a ringing sleighbell into a series of nested elf hats. Trickier than it looks.
- Snowball Bowling – Using slightly enchanted snowballs, knock down oversized sugarcube pins.
- Cookie Stack Sprint – Dash to the finish line with a tray of stacked sugar cookies. Drop one, and you start over!
The rules are cheerfully inconsistent, often changing mid-game thanks to gleeful interference by on-duty Fairies. The point, of course, is not to
🏆 The Gumdrop Cup
At the end of the day, the highest-scoring team is awarded the coveted Gumdrop Cup—a giant clear goblet filled with sparkling candies from Crumbelle’s personal stash. Winners also receive hand-drawn badges and eternal bragging rights.
This year’s champions? The Cedar House Elflings, led by Liora Brightwell and her friends, pulled off a daring gumdrop relay finale with a spoon balanced between two noses. “We didn’t train for this,” Liora giggled, “but we did eat a lot of gumdrops this week.”
🎶 Music, Food, and Fun
Between events, the Village Orchestra plays peppy tunes from the bandstand, while food carts serve frozen fudge pops, candy-corn kettle corn, and fizzy snowberry cider. Spectators sit on picnic blankets, waving team flags and cheering wildly for every tumble and triumph.