Candy windows are a sweet peek at Christmas

PROVO — Raelyn Webster moved to New York this year before she finished her candy window. So she rolled parts of it up and drove the sections back to Utah in her car.

Next year, she plans to do one she can fly with.

"I'll do another window," said Webster, "but my goal is to do one I can take on a plane. This was hard."

Webster, who has built a window for the Provo Arts Council candy window event for each of the past four years, started in March on this year's window with a group of 12- to 13-year-old girls. But they still had to hustle to meet the deadline.

The result is a colorful, detailed window that features a rotating "Christmas tree" stack of presents tied up with ribbon and an assortment of toys including a tiny piano, a teddy bear, a jack-in-the-box, a baseball and a stuffed frog, all built of gum balls and Chiclets. There's a wall picture, a fireplace and even a brick block castle.

Each girl took a box to decorate and created a toy, Webster said, working harder throughout the past few months than they expected but enjoying the experience.

At the Bernina shop, Rex and Pauline Brailsford enlisted their grandchildren to help them create the window.

"I've always wanted to do a candy window ever since I saw the ones in Salt Lake at ZCMI years ago," Pauline Brailsford said. "I wanted to do one the children could enjoy. That's why we did the castle with the Christmas tree so tall it comes up through the roof because that's how it is with the joy of Christmas. It spreads all over."

Rex Brailsford was in charge of constructing bases of wood and Styrofoam while Pauline Brailsford directed the work with the candy.

Their granddaughter Amanda Larsen designed the tree skirt. Grandson Kevin and his sister Chelsea Larsen cut out the 500 small triangles of Tootsie Rolls, Jelly Bellys and caramels for the flooring.

Other granddaughters, Emily Richards and Jennifer and Amy Larsen, made the Christmas tree ornaments. Four-year-old Camille Richards made the ornament box.

"That's why some things are very interesting," Brailsford said.

The letters in the tiny mailbox are each addressed to a grandchild except for one addressed to radKIDS, an organization the Brailsford's son works with that teaches children to resist potential attackers.

The Brailsfords found creating a window entirely of sweet treats more time-consuming and challenging than they expected.