What do holiday celebrations look like in a year defined by loss and isolation?

In St. Andrews, a small town on the southwestern tip of New Brunswick, the annual gingerbread competition captured a complicated kind of joy with the winning entry for adult participants.

Together Apart, the gingerbread house entry by guidance counsellor Caleigh Dunfield and her boyfriend Chris Langille, features not just a single gingerbread house, but a gingerbread village, decorated with icing and candy glass.

You are strong, you are brave, you are loved, it says in the background, in gingerbread letters outlined with icing. The scene is capped off with messages of hope from St. Andrews residents.

Its on display in the window of the Treadwell Inn, where Langille works as a chef.