Yes folks, January is nearly over and we are decorating a gingerbread house. Well, maybe I should clarify that and say we are just now decorating a gingerbread house!

5 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THIS PICTURE

1) I found this kit on clearance for just $4.98 at Winco after Christmas (marked down from $15)! For something that was likely going to be trashed afterwards, the price was great!

2) I had high hopes of doing this activity with The Boy during the 12 Days of Christmas, but we were traveling and still sick and OCD and yeah.

3) Today is a sick day and I needed a quiet, independent activity for The Boy to do so I could work, plus he’d been asking to do it since I bought it and, well, yeah.

4) My tips: this is not an independent activity (somebody older, maybe a mother, has to help hold the sides together, install the roof pieces upside down, etc); the candy is not good (no chocolates, caramels, etc.), use your favorites to add to the yumminess (Rolos, Hershey Kisses, M&M’s); decorate the gingerbread pieces BEFORE you assemble the house (it is a chore to pipe the icing straight and neat once put together, and the candy decorations just slide down everywhere!).

5) The gingerbread is hard as rock, but smells super good. If you place pieces of the house on a plate (remove the candy decorations) and cover it with a damp paper towel and microwave for 20 seconds or so, the cookies will be warm and soft and edible. We frosted with vanilla frosting and they tasted pretty good for store bought!

Did your kiddos make gingerbread houses this Christmas? What are your tips for a fun and successful project?

I posted this over on Instagram yesterday afternoon, but I wanted to share my “tips” here as well, ya know, so they’d be easy to find next January.  Are you on Instagram? You can follow me here.