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BAKING, FAMILY ACTIVITIES

Kids in the Kitchen: Decorating a Gingerbread House

Lehman's
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I had high ambitions for my first crack at gingerbread houses. I think Hallmark Christmas movies may have something to do with my unbridled optimism. I loved the idea of baking gingerbread and having the house smell like Christmas time then sitting down and having my two-year-old and my husband help me create something magical. We never really did gingerbread houses growing up. Cookies and fudge? Yes, of course, but I don’t know...something about gingerbread houses sounded so traditional that I was excited to give it a try. We invited a few friends over to enjoy the experience with us too. As the date got closer and I did more research on how to make these creations, I started to get nervous about my ability to pull it off. So unfortunately, this year I bought premade gingerbread pieces and some candy. I did make a few fun chocolate pieces which I actually loved! Here is what I learned from this experience with a two-year-old. Patience is key. My sweet daughter was interested in the activity for about 10 minutes until she was finished taste-testing all of the candies and had decorated the whole side of our house with an entire can of edible glitter sprinkles. (She wasn’t wrong though - it did make the house quite festive.) She’d come back every so often to add on a few more sprinkles, lick the frosting or ask for a pretzel, but after her input, she was pretty much over it. Decorating gingerbread house

Adding more glitter to gingerbread house

Also, we learned that when collaborating with different creative visions you have to just go with the flow. My husband did not get my vision for the color scheme of pastels, but the candy lights he added did make it even more festive. Also, thank goodness for his patience because I certainly lost interest waiting for the icing to set as he sat for quite some time holding the house together. Family decorating a gingerbread house together

Family decorating a gingerbread house together

All in all we had a fun night that while might not become a tradition it certainly became a fun memory! Here's our finished creation: Decorated gingerbread house