![]() ![]() It’s hard to do supertall structures with graham crackers and icing, but it can be done.Ĩ p.m.: Hang out on Zoom a little longer and clean upĪn hour goes by really quickly, but ending a Zoom call can be awkward, so it helps if you have a set end time. Some people go all out and make multilevel homes. My niece, Brighter, who lives in Atlanta, did this really interesting technique of stacking her graham crackers for the roof, which made it look like a log cabin roof. Most people get more creative with the landscaping than with the house, just because of the options of candies and materials that they can use. All the kids end up being really proud of what they made. ![]() Toward the end of the party everybody does a little show and tell, giving a sort of MTV Cribs–style tour of their gingerbread homes. I also like to add food coloring to the frosting for grass and piping decorations onto the houses. I usually get regular and mini size M&Ms, little candy canes that are good for fences, gum drops for shingles, pretzel squares for windows, marshmallows for bushes, peppermints because they have such a nice holiday feel, Dots, Junior Mints, Sprinkles, and Tic-Tacs in different colors. Whether it’s for landscaping (extra sugar-gumdrop bushes) or focusing on details like house shingles ( Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal), having options gives them the opportunity to really use their imagination when it comes to decorating. I feel like extra candy gets the creative juices flowing. I buy a whole wide range of candy for decorating (even though the kits do include some candy) and suggest setting it up like a little buffet for kids to grab from. I recommend using the Betty Crocker frosting that comes in a tub because it sets faster than other frostings. That way you don’t have collapses happening as you’re decorating. If you have the time and your kid really wants to build their own house ahead of time rather than using a kit, it’s good to do so at least three hours before decorating so the frosting has time to set, making it more structurally sound. I send an email out to all guests with a list of stuff to buy, including the premade kits, assorted candy, and a simple tutorial with illustrations that I found on Pinterest. The goal is less about creating something delicious (or edible even) and more about having fun. Instead, she opts to buy the kits that “you literally take it out of the box and it’s already a house, all put together,” so that guests can skip ahead to the decorating. After hosting these events ever since her now-6- and 7-year-old daughters were toddlers, Kindred has learned “I don’t want to be building houses in the middle of the party” - as most young kids will inevitably require the grown-ups to do. The best gingerbread-house-making parties are the ones that don’t involve any “house-making” at all, according to Eunice Kindred, a mom of two and creative director of the marketing agency Neon. ![]() ![]() In this series, we ask veteran party-throwers to walk us through their process for a foolproof celebration - from baking cookies two weeks in advance, to greeting their guests with tarot cards, to, finally, hitting the Hanukkah-themed shotski. The holiday season is much more fun when there are parties to attend, but actually hosting a holiday gathering is another story (especially if you’ve forgotten how to entertain after a year of sitting at home alone). ![]()
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