Tradition is an important part of business, according to Bent Olsen, owner of Olsen’s Danish Village Bakery, Solvang. It’s tradition that brings him into the bakery to make Christmas delicacies for almost 40 years, and it’s tradition that gives the bakery its standard of excellence, such as the giant gingerbread house that greets visitors every holiday season near the front entrance at the Royal Scandinavian Inn. “Everything we do at this time of year is Christmas,” he insisted. “And gingerbread houses are a big part of Christmas. Some people say it wouldn’t be Christmas without the traditional, high-pitched gingerbread house.” And that’s just what he has delivered annually for the past 12 years to the Inn, located at 400 Alisal Road. The house is assembled completely at his bakery at 1529 Mission Dr., and then a flatbed truck and forklift carefully situate it just inside the Inn. He then adds the icicles, dormers, chimney and gingerbread men. “It’s a project we all enjoy doing,” he added. Challenges like the giant gingerbread house have never been a problem for the Olsen family, which has been in the baking business for four generations. Olsen came to the Solvang area from Denmark with his father 37 years ago and took over the store when he was 25. For years he started his day at 2 a.m., preparing the baked goods that have made his bakery and coffee house famous. He now enjoys running the afternoon shift and visiting with his many customers. “I love my work,” he explained. “And I plan to enjoy my work for years — celebrating 38 years is a milestone, but it’s not time to think about retiring. I expect to be here, making traditional gingerbread houses at Christmas, for many more years.”