Looking for a faster way to get to decorating your Gingerbread House? We all forget how much prep work they take before they can be decorated. Today I’m happy to share our simplest secret trick to Gingerbread Houses! This may cut an hour off your prep time, trust me. This will free up more time to spend on other fun Christmas traditions.
Gingerbread Houses Tips & Tricks
Fortunately for me, this Gingerbread House decorating event is always sponsored by the boy’s Gramom (my mom)! Yeah for Grand-moms! They can swoop in and dole out the fun and magic. Gramom is also responsible for the amazing Gingerbread Cookies. They are sooooo yummy. I usually have great intentions for creating those “magical Christmas moments”, but they can easily get lost in the hustle and bustle.
Gingerbread Houses Secret Tips:
- Buy a gingerbread house kit (this one is from Trader Joe’s, but you can purchase it here.)
- Get out your glue gun! This is the best tip you’ll see! No need to wait around for the icing to dry. Glue the sides to the base for a quick house. It should dry in less than 60 seconds. Now use your icing for decorating fun! (Remember: don’t eat it!)
- Have any candy leftover from Halloween? Pull it out now and decorate away!
- When you are finished decorating your Gingerbread House, you can add some cotton batting around the edges to look like snow.
Now you have a beautiful holiday decoration and you know our secret tips and tricks to decorating gingerbread houses.
Our Favorite Gingerbread Books:
A Christmas activity such as decorating Gingerbread Houses, is a good opportunity to get your child reading. Here are a few related books that we love!
- Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett (click here)
- The Gingerbread Man (classic tale)
Affiliate links added for your convenience.
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Other Fun Christmas Activities:
15+ Homemade Christmas Ornaments for Kids
How to Get Started With Elf on the Shelf
The Secret to Opening Christmas Gifts
Christmas Shoe Boxes for Operation Christmas Child
We buy a kit each year too.
OH MY GOSH you are a genius! GLUE GUN!?!?! I host a gingerbread decorating party EVERY SINGLE YEAR and inevitably there will be SOMEONE that comes with an unassembled house and it’s just a nightmare. THIS IS GENIUS!!!!!!! Glue gun… I’ll never forget this! What a great tip! I love this kit too! I think I’ll try TJ next year for our kit!
Thanks April! I’m glad you found us and this tip. It’s a good one…. we use it every year! Thanks for stopping by.
I am a grandmom of 5, soon to be 6. I bought a kit and icing glued the house together, waited a week and when my oldest granddaughter and I were ready to decorate the house it just fell apart. I gorilla glued it back together, never even thought about hot glue gun. Great idea!
Thank you so much Jane! This made my day. Isn’t it funny how the most obvious thing is the last thing we think of? I’m impressed you thought of gorilla glue! Funny note: my son was making gingerbread houses in German class. He asked if he could take his glue gun in. His teacher said yes! The glue gun had glow-in-the-dark sticks in it!! You can’t tell in the daylight – but it cracked me up!