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I hosted a gingerbread house decorating party for my twin boys and their friends. It was so fun and went so smooth I had to share my tips so you can host your own. Here are the details of the party and why it was the easiest and best party I’ve done with little kids. Once I showed the kids how to spread the frosting on the houses and put on candy, they didn’t need any help for the remainder of the party, and the majority of the kids sat there for 1.5 hours. Yep! Three-year-olds sitting there for 1.5 hours. It was a Christmas miracle! ;) The only time I was needed was to look and admire the wonderful job they were doing. It was awesome! Okay, so here’s the info on the party prep.
Gingerbread houses:
I bought these in a gingerbread village kit at target for $9. It includes 4 mini houses, candy and frosting. These kits are always stingy on the frosting and candy so I bought extra. The houses come with a base that’s about 3 inches. The perfect size for kids. Also the perfect size when you have to find a space in your house to display 3 houses your kids made. I would recommend putting them on a larger base so they can decorate a yard. My husband sliced up a log to use for our bases. My biggest tip for the whole party… ASSEMBLE HOUSES BEFORE THE PARTY! This made the party so much smoother than if I had to try to help each kid assemble their own. I used HOT GLUE to put them together. That saved so much time and made the houses very sturdy. After hot gluing, I piped along the edges with icing to make them look cuter and to fake the look of assembling with icing. These houses were strong and had no problem holding the 5 pounds of frosting the kids put on them.
Candy and frosting:
I bought a variety of candy in addition to what was included in the kit and divided them into bags for each kid. I didn’t worry about using royal icing because the houses were already built and we didn’t need super strong frosting to hold any structures. The store bought frosting works great. I looked for smaller candy because our houses were so small. The kit also included sprinkles. I put these in a separate container from the rest of the candy to make it easier for the kids to use.
Hot cocoa bar and snacks:
We had a mini hot cocoa bar with just marshmallows and candy canes for toppings. A few years ago I did a larger hot cocoa bar with several toppings and the whole nine yards. It was a waste. The only items people added were marshmallows, candy canes and whipped cream. Lesson learned. The smaller hot cocoa bar for this party was the perfect size. I also had a little platter of crackers, cheese and deli meat to help balance out all the candy they were consuming. They gobbled it up. All of the kids left with a little chocolate snowflake my boys helped me make with chocolate molds. They love to help and it was the perfect little party favor.
This party took less prep work than any of my others and was by far the funnest! I can’t even tell you how nice it was to be able to actually talk to the moms and chat while the kids decorated their houses. I’m sure most of it was the novelty that this is something we only do once a year, so it was extra special to the kids.
All of the cut files for placemats, food labels, and party favors will be available in the Silhouette design store soon. I’ll be sure to post here and let you know when they’re ready. I hope you found these tips helpful in planning a gingerbread decorating party of your own.
Amy, I don’t think there is anything you have done that I don’t LOVE! I especially want to thank you for your awesome tutorials. Step by step is not something I have seen very often. Mostly, tutorials are “here it is”. Your artwork is lovely. I look forward to more of your designs. I came to your blog via a couple of designs I was buying off the Silhouette store.
Hello! I love your designs in the silhouette store! I especially love your print and cuts for rulers, glasses, etc. for Valentine’s day. I was wondering if you had a similar one for krazy straws? Something like: I’m crazy (or krazy) for you valentine!! Hoping you have one that I just couldn’t find. Thanks!! Kelly
Hi Kelly
I don’t have one right now, but that’s a great idea! I will make one soon. THANKS!