"Once upon a time" comes to life in a magical display of enchanting castles! Seattle’s top architecture firms and trade associations will team up with the Sheraton Seattle’s culinary staff to bring to life gingerbread creations that will ignite the magic of the holiday season. The Gingerbread Village invites guests to journey through classic fairytale scenes, faraway castles and extravagant holiday stories. The Sheraton Seattle Hotel will host the 20th annual Gingerbread Village in its lobby from Tuesday, November 20, 2012 through Saturday, January 1, 2013. The holiday tradition draws more than 100,000 visitors annually and is free to the public, although donations to the Northwest Chapter of the JDRF are accepted and appreciated. The Gingerbread Village has raised more than $601,000 in the past 19 years, helping dreams come true for those battling Type 1 diabetes. It takes more than a magic wand to create these sweet candy creations. The Sheraton’s hotel staff donates more than 2,500 volunteer hours for this event and the displays use an estimated 1,200 pounds of dough, 800 pounds of icing, 200 pounds of white chocolate, 250 pounds of almond paste and hundreds of pounds of candy. Free, but donations to the JDRF are accepted and appreciated