Gingerbread House Parties: Divvy Up in Advance

Mini Plastic Paint Bucket Favors
Perfect for pre-distributing Gingerbread House
Candy Decorations

Organizing a gingerbread house decorating party is fun, but takes a lot of work. The more people you include, the more organized you will want to be, especially if younger children are involved. While teens and tweens can manage their gingerbread architecture with little direction, younger than 10 years old tend to need some oversight and assistance.

One of the issues that can crop up is the use of candies. If one child decides to construct a complete border fence, and needs to use ALL of the Lego candies in the process, other children will probably complain that they didn't get any. One helpful solution is to pre-distribute gingerbread house candies in Christmas themed containers, or even in simple cereal bowls.

If you know exactly how many kids will be participating (and/or adults), then measuring the candies fairly amongst the containers will alleviate this stress later. Once the decorating is under way, you can allow the kids to negotiate and trade with each other for different items, but at least, this way, everyone has a chance at those coveted Lego candy blocks.

The plastic, mini paint bucket, pictured above, is a fun way to divvy up your gingerbread house decorations, and adds to the construction and creativity theme of the occasion.

Check out some cute alternatives:

Welcome to All Things Gingerbread

Find Gingerbread Cooking Ware at Amazon

I have spent the last 18 years getting to know the craft of gingerbread house decoration, from baking, to assembly, to decoration, in the context of making it a family activity!  All Things Gingerbread is a fun place to share some of my tips and ideas!  You can visit the tab above, Find Great Gingerbread Essentials, to check out my a-store, "Gingerbread Essentials", where you will see a listing of some fun gingerbread themes in kitchenware, aprons, and of course, gingerbread house supplies ranging from cookie cutters to kits. 

Whether you need a project that is mostly ready to put together, or whether you want that whole experience, you will find some great ideas here on the blog, at articles linked below, and in my a-store.  Happy Gingerbread!

Find a Great Gingerbread Apron

A gingerbread themed apron is fun all year long, a pleasant reminder of family tradition and memories.

I pull my gingerbread apron out for any and all baking projects...the only time I can't wear my gingerbread apron is when one of my teen daughters is involved in the baking.  However, regardless of who wears the apron, everyone enjoys the opportunity to daydream of our next gingerbread house decorating event.  Every kid in the house looks at every candy in the checkout lane of the grocery store, with thoughts of how they could use it on their gingerbread creation. 

Find your gingerbread apron well in advance, so you, too, can daydream of the fun you will have, come gingerbread season!

Gingerbread House Advent Calendar

Children and parents, alike, experience lots of antsy feelings during the holiday season. Waiting for Christmas is exciting, and brings different types of stresses to kids...it's so hard to be good when you are so very excited. You can help that excitement, with planning different activities to expend energy through the season. An advent calendar is a favorite way to help youngsters manage their excitement, by counting down the days until Christmas. The advent calendar shown above is a ">gingerbread house calendar, perfect for the family that loves gingerbread houses.

Gingerbread House Decoration: When you don't have time to make a Gingerbread House

If you've ever had a hectic year, and most of us have, where the holidays don't just creep up on you, but storm the gates, then you may find yourself lacking time and energy for making a gingerbread house. There are some fun ceramic gingerbread house decorations to be found, which can provide that gingerbread house charm, year after year, whether or not you have time to bake.

Gingerbread Kisses LED Lighted Candy Cane House Christmas Decoration From the Gingerbread Kisses Collection Item #D0943 Sugar coat your holiday with this intricately detailed LED lighted gingerbread house accented with candy galore and sugar-like crystals Illuminated with one mini light and features a convenient on/off switch on the bottom of the base Requires (3) AG13 button batteries (not included) For decorative purposes only Dimensions: 6"H x 5.25"W x 4"W Material(s): claydough

Gingerbread Off Season

While it may be the gingerbread off season, my household loves gingerbread houses so very much, that the mere sight of a silly blog page causes them to stop, and think.  "Mom, can we invite so and so next time we do gingerbread houses?"  It's a memory tucked in the back of the mind through the year, something to think about, relish, and plan for.  If you long for that fun in the off season, there are still plenty of ways to make the most!  Make a sugar cookie school house for a favorite teacher, as an end of the year gift.  Make a chocolate chip barn for the horse lover in your life.  There is no end to the potential creativity, and there is no restriction to season.  Browse through some of the article feeds at the bottom, and you'll find plenty of how to articles.  Browse the "Gingerbread Essentials" link above, for Amazon offerings through the year.  Don't limit yourself to gingerbread in December!  There's so much fun to be had, all year!