But there is serious scientific intent behind it, as flooding forces architects to adapt building designs.

More than 80 different model buildings - made only of gingerbread, icing and sweets - sit at the heart of the exhibition in London's Westfield, where the visiting public will judge the most creative and climate-resilient structures.

The exhibition has been held since 2016, hosted by the London Museum of Architecture, and after a year marked by flooding across the UK - this year's theme of "water in cities" had particular prominence.

"We're having to really think about how we're going to be building in the future and how we can adapt our cities to better bring in water and not just necessarily push it out", Melissa Wolford, founder of the London Museum for Architects, told Sky News.

"We want to inspire the next generation because they're going to be the people who are going to be dealing with this."

And to that end, hundreds of school children will visit the exhibition right through the Christmas period until January.

"My favourite one is the one with the penguins", Reem, from Bousfield primary school, explained.

But she also recognises the significance.

"It's important because since climate change, water levels are rising. So the houses might flood," she says.

The model house designers are tasked with a confectionary challenge, but the demands on these architects are equally pressing in the real world too.

Alex Smith is one of the competing Architects at YN studio in east London. He is designing a version of his elevated model gingerbread structure, with real life stilts.

"We're working on a project along the riverside of the Thames, which is raised up to protect itself from flooding that might occur in the future," he told Sky News

"The requirements that we face as architects have changed - even the requirements for the amount of insulation in a wall seems to have tripled."

The message at this exhibition and among architects is that for all the Christmas fun, sustainability needs to be for every season.