Come With Me to the Gingerbread House

My sisters will appreciate this title.  Only those of us who sang this beloved song each Christmas in the center of Valley Fair Mall can truly understand the value of it;)  Anyway....we did our Gingerbread house decorating this week.  We typically do it as a Christmas Eve activity to help shorten the very long day.  Since we will be in Utah this year, we will be busy enjoying family time.  Last year we cheated a bit and used graham crackers.  The girls liked being able to use their creativity rather than having to follow the house design of a kit, so it was graham crackers again this year.  We didn't have enough powdered sugar to make the really good stiff frosting you need, so the glue gun was on the scene.  I must say it worked quite well and since we don't eat them anyway, it makes for some fool proof construction.  You really can't beat the sweet smell of gingerbread though, so one of these years I am going to attempt that again [maybe]

 The girls worked pretty independently [other than some help with the hot glue]. We always save extra candy that we get throughout the year and use it for our decorating.  The girls all came up with some creative ways to use it.  Emmrey did an awesome Chex shingled roof and lots of Truffula trees in her yard....she even used a huge lollipop top by her door and called it the "Target ball"

 Karsyn had a really cool design for her house and included an awesome snowball fight fort.....and the biggest snowman you ever did see:)

 And Bailee spent her time creating a little sled, reindeer [with a red nose mind you] and the cutest little French snowman complete with a beret and a mustache.

 

Here they are with the finished products

 And another shot of the display.....

 The girls did have a little practice....early in the month the kids in Miss Alise's class were at it again, making their own version of Gingerbread houses.  This school thing is serious business folks!!  Luckily she has an older sister who can appreciate her imagination and infatuation with playing school, who assisted her in this little project;)

Yep. We've got a regular village here which is easily taking over this little house.....all for the kids!!