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Charles Froke used more than 100 pounds of gingerbread to recreate the Smithsonian Castle.

Charles Froke, the executive pastry chef at the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington, D.C., spent more than 100 hours creating a replica of the Smithsonian Castle using only gingerbread and frosting—100 and 50 pounds respectively. What’s more is that he did the whole thing by himself. (His staff had to worry about all the holiday parties.)

He had wanted to do the Castle years ago, but a promotion and transfer to Miami got in the way. So, when he was transferred back, he knew this would be the first structure he attempted. “I really wanted to do the Smithsonian Castle,” he said. “And I never got a chance to do it. Now that I’m back in town, it’s my first sculpture.”

But the iconic building on the Mall posed some challenges for Froke. “The building is crazy,” he said. “It has so many different columns and so many different towers. That’s going to be the hardest part.” At one point, when he tried to attach an angled roof, the whole piece fell down. “There’s always things that go wrong,” he says. “But it’s just gingerbread, so we persevere.”

The impressive centerpiece was revealed last week and will be on display in the hotel’s restaurant through January, but we got a sneak peek at how Froke created the Castle.

George Scurlock on Christmas Morning (1920) by George Scurlock. Image courtesy of the American History Museum.

SNOW DAY! All DC-metropolitan Smithsonian museums, along with the Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia, are open today. The National Zoo, however, remains closed due to the heavy snowfall over the weekend.

Monday, December 21: IMAX!!

Spend your snow day away from work or school exploring the museums or enjoying a movie at one of the Smithsonian’s three IMAX theaters.

Tuesday, December 22: ZooLights

*Check tomorrow to see if the National Zoo has reopened and that this event is still scheduled.

For children of all ages, come on out to the National Zoo for a nighttime safari, keeping  your eyes peeled for a menagerie of LED light sculptures modeled after critters at the zoo. Tickets are required for visitors aged 2 and older and can be purchased at any National Zoo store, at the door (unless that day’s worth of tickets are sold out), or through Ticketmaster. Unless the Zoo closes due to inclement weather, this event runs every night from December 18 through January 2, except December 24, 25 and 31. Tickets are $8 general admission; FONZ $5. National Zoo, 6-8:30 PM.

Wednesday, December 23: The Scientist is In

Drown your Thalassophobia and come on over to the Sant Ocean Hall to chat with an expert. The scientist is in to show off some special artifacts and talk to visitors about the wet and dry of oceanography. Free. Repeats every Wednesday. National Museum of Natural History, 12 Noon-4 PM.

Thursday, December 24: Attic Sale

Need some gift ideas at the last screaming minute? Try your luck at the Freer, which is offering its Asia-themed gift shop goodies—from CDs to scarves—at reduced prices. Freer, 10:00 AM-4:00 PM.

Friday, December 25: Smithsonian is closed for Christmas

Sorry kids, this is the one day of the year when the Smithsonian is closed to visitors. So chill out and enjoy the day with the people who matter most to you. There will be plenty of museum fun to be had tomorrow!

A quick announcement for our Washington, DC readers: Due to the snowstorm blanketing the D.C. region, all area museums, including the National Zoo and the Udvar-Hazy branch of the National Air and Space Museum, will be closed to the public today, December 19, and tomorrow, December 20.

Check SI Alerts for more information.

Stay stafe, and if you still want to enjoy the snow, there is an impromptu snowball fight happening at the intersection of 14th and U St. in downtown Washington.

Winter Sunset (no. 209) by Werner Drewes. Image courtesy of the American Art Museum.

The Smithsonian Institution has announced a snow emergency and has closed all its museums, the Zoo, as well as the Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia on Saturday, December 19 and Sunday, December 20.

Friday, December 11: ZooLights

That’s right kids—ZooLights is back once again! For children of all ages, a menagerie of LED light sculptures modeled after critters at the zoo will be on display. Tickets are required for visitors aged 2 and older and can be purchased at any National Zoo store, at the door (unless that day’s worth of tickets are sold out), or through Ticketmaster. This event runs from Friday through Sunday until December 13; between December 18 and January 2; but the Zoo occasionally closes for inclement weather. (Snow expected Saturday!) ZooLights occurs every night except December 24, 25 and 31. Tickets are $8 general admission; FONZ $5. National Zoo, 6-8:30 PM.

Saturday, December 12: Facing History: Be the Artist

Patricia Horing merges painting, text and collage in her portraits, one of which is featured in the 2009 Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition currently on display at the National Portrait Gallery. In this two-hour art class, enjoy a guided tour of the exhibition and get to know the ideas and themes present in the Horing piece on display before heading to the studio to create an artwork of your own. Ideal for persons ages 10-14 accompanied by an adult. Free, but registration is required. Please call 202-633-8501. National Portrait Gallery, 12:00-2:00 PM. This event repeats at 3:30 and is geared to persons ages 5-10.

Sunday, December 13: Art a la Carte

By and large, art galleries have a very strict “look but don’t touch” policy. And let’s face it, the last thing anyone wants is to have an irritated security guard on your back because you got too close to the artwork. Well, it’s time to make a teensy break with convention by way of hands-on interactive carts scattered throughout the gallery. Come get a sense of what it’s like to work in an artist studio by getting your mitts on paintbrushes, palettes, bison hide, quilt squares and other odds and ends. Ideal for persons ages 7-12. Free. American Art Museum, 1:00-4:00 PM.

The holidays just wouldn’t be the same without the requisite holiday tunes. But admittedly,  the same old songs and arrangements can get tiresome. So we searched Folkways and came up with a few atypical holiday CDs to freshen up your seasonal playlist.

Image courtesy of Smithsonian Folkways

Feel like tossing down a few pints of Guinness with some of your closest friends in front of a roaring fire? Throw on English Village Carols and celebrate the season while listening to live English pub recordings of secular Christmas carol singing.

Image courtesy of Smithsonian Folkways

Finish out your celebration of Hanukkah right with Songs of the Holidays and Other Songs Sung by Gene Bluestein and Children of the Mount Zion Hebrew Congregation. The rather long album title says it all. Banjo player Gene Bluestein sings and discusses Judaism with the kids.

Image courtesy of Smithsonian Folkways

Maybe you’re looking for something a bit more familiar, but just . . . different?  Perhaps Traditional Christmas Carols by iconic folk singer Pete Seeger would do the trick. Stripped down instrumentations of classics such as “What Child Is This” and “The First Noel” are still captivating in any format.

Image courtesy of Smithsonian Folkways

If you’re looking for a CD of a Russian Orthodox choir doing a capella versions of Ukranian Christmas carols, then, my friends, you’ve hit the jackpot. A Russian Christmas, powered by the St. John’s Russian Orthodox Choir, meets all of those requirements.

Image courtesy of Smithsonian Folkways

For a balanced approach, singer/songwriter Ella Jenkins has got all of the winter holidays covered on her Holiday Times album. Backed by children and friends, there’s sing-a-longs for Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza and even Chinese New Year.

Listen to tracks from these albums above in our Folkways player.

(Audio Courtesy of Smithsonian Folkways, the non-profit record label of the national museum. For CDs or digital downloads please visit folkways.si.edu.)