I suffer from OCD :: Obsessive Christmas Disorder. I was aware of this when I wanted to put my Christmas decorations up the first of November. Then I patiently waited until Thanksgiving week to put everything up and not post any pictures until December so that I wouldn’t be judged by my peers. What can I say? I just love Christmas. I now love it even more since I have kids, and holiday traditions are the best.
One of my absolute favorite Christmas activities is decorating gingerbread houses. When the kids were younger, we would work on one large house together. Then I purchased a gingerbread village that conveniently had 5 small houses which were the perfect size for the little ones. As the older ones got bigger, I moved to getting the regular size gingerbread houses for each of them.
Last year I wanted to share this joyful activity with my extended family and friends. The party started small, and then the kids asked if they could invite one friend. Well, one turned into two, two turned into three, and a teacher was invited as well. It was a gingerbread decorating PARTAYYYYY!
Getting a gingerbread house for that many people is a difficult task. I originally asked if each one could bring a house with them; however, we all know some of the houses have to be put together, and that requires drying time before decorating or your house will fall apart. Sometimes pre-built kits come broken in their packaging, and I didn’t want to deal with that either. So to make things easy, I opted for large gingerbread boys and girls instead. You can buy these at the store, but my bakery makes the best gingerbread cookies – and that’s the route I took. Make this to-do list, check it twice, and have an absolute holiday blast hosting your own kid’s gingerbread party!
>> How to Host a Kid’s Gingerbread Party <<
Send Invitations. Holiday schedules tend to fill up quick, so be sure and send out invitations as soon as you decide on a day and time. I sent out simple invitations that I printed on my computer and asked if each guest could bring cookies for a cookie swap. The cookie swap served as a party favor and gave everyone something to contribute to the party as well.
Event Prep. There’s a few steps you can take before the event to help the gingerbread decorating go smoothly…
- Pre-make various colors of royal icing in piping bags with a few different decorating tips for the kids to share. {Tip :: Make sure you don’t overfill the piping bags, or they will be too difficult for little hands to squeeze. AND make sure to use a rubber band to tie the piping bag!}
- Divide candy and decoretttes into little portion cups for each table. You can use cupcake liners or little bowls too.
- Print some gingerbread people photos for the kids to use as inspiration if they get stuck and don’t know what to do. My own son is the type of kid that would sit there forever and not start because he simply doesn’t know where to begin – so this was super helpful.
Decor and More. Think about fun and inexpensive ways that you can liven up the party. I purchased elf hats from the dollar store for all the guests that were a buck each! And it’s not a Christmas party if there isn’t hot chocolate warm in the crockpot and Christmas music playing throughout the house.
Finishing Touches. To wrap up the party, consider finishing touches that will send your guests off with a lifetime of memories. Did I mention that I also happen to be best buds with a local Santa in town? We arranged for him to show up at the end of the party, and he took pictures with each kid. However, a sweet Christmas book or a fun sing-a-long would be equally as precious too!
My kids and their friends still talk about the party, and I loved that I got to host them at my house. And the best part … eating our creations at the end!
