For her first Christmas at Adoro Cafe in Napier, baker Kerryn Taylor decided to do something special.
So from scratch she created a colourful lolly-adorned gingerbread house, impressing cafe owner Paul Greaves and the rest of the staff.
"And then we thought, what shall we do with it?" she said.
That was answered when someone from the Cranford Hospice shop in nearby Dickens St popped in for a coffee.
There was a chat and there was a decision made - the one-off gingerbread house would become a Christmas fundraiser for the hospice.
Cafe callers were asked to make a donation into a collection box and drop their name into another box.
Yesterday afternoon, the cash was counted and a winner picked.
The hospice picked up $256 and Napier woman Kerry Dick picked up the gingerbread house.
She called in soon after being notified of her win.
"She's got some nieces - she's going to be the best aunty in the world," Ms Taylor said.
Cranford Hospice shop assistant manager Alison McKee said she was delighted the cafe had done their bit for the cause.
"It's really nice of them to do that, and the gingerbread house was amazing."
Ms Taylor said she would create another one, with the same fundraising angle in mind, next Christmas.
"But it will be bigger and better."