The holiday season is upon us, Boston, and that bodes especially well for the foodies out there. Holiday cheer is often synonymous with candies, baked goods and, the archetypal December treat, gingerbread houses. One local architecture firm is taking the gingerbread house building to a new level by hosting an in-house design competition on Thursday, December 18.

Spagnolo Gisness & Associates, Inc., a locally-based architecture and interior design firm, is now in its fourth year of the gingerbread house challenge. Employees will break off into 10 teams consisting of 3 or 4 architects though only 5 will emerge from the fray victorious.

Finished houses will be judged on 10 categories including innovation, quality of design, practicality and functionality of the design, and visual appeal. The five winners will be in the categories of most creative, best use of materials, best structural integrity, best in show and best in spirit.

Because we’re talking about professional architects here don’t expect any ragtag, rudimentary gingerbread houses. Past creations include replicas of the Hatch Shell, the John Hancock Tower and Fenway Park.

The friendly matchup takes place on Thursday from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. and will put the SG&A’s brass to the test. After all, isn’t an architect’s talent measured by the creativity and imagination he or she pours into slabs of gingerbread, icing and gumdrops?

Be sure to check back with BostInno for photos of this year’s houses. In the meantime, if you plan on getting in the gingerbread game let us know about your creative process and some of your favorite abodes in the comments section below.