the cheater's gingerbread house

Last year, I thought that our kids had tired and/or outgrown the traditional building of the Christmas Eve gingerbread house. We have made a gingerbread house for many, many Christmases. So I changed things up and took the stuff to decorate snowman cakes instead. Big mistakes. They decorated the snowman cakes, but they reminded me this year that we needed a house, not a cake. So made certain to have materials for our cheater's version of a gingerbread house.

We don't use gingerbread at all.

I go to Dollar Tree or Dollar General and buy graham crackers, some cookies, and several kinds of candies. After opening presents, we usually have a box close to the size that we need - yes, a cardboard box. This year, we used a small shirt box to modify the top and give us a slanted roof. Some years we have a flat roof with turrets like a castle.

I mix up some royal icing while the kids discuss a plan for decorations. The decorations are determined by the size of the box and the types of candies on the table. We usually have graham crackers as wall covering; broken cookies work well too - they give a stone effect.

Some years we have a yard around the house and decorate it too. There is quiet a bit of candy eating during the decorating process. This year Natalie discovered that she likes the taste of the royal icing, but does NOT like butterscotch.

natalie missed the group pictures so that she could go home and prepare for santa

When we are finished, some have a sugar rush, all of us and most of the kitchen counters are sticky, and Nannie has a gingerbread house to show-off. The house is never perfect - but the memories certainly are. As we worked on this house they discussed next years plan - a log cabin out of fat pretzels.

let's get the festivities started

What are your Christmas traditions?


Many, many years ago, my mom claimed Christmas Eve as our family's day. And it is a tradition that has held it's ground as we have gotten married and even as the grandkids are now getting married and starting their own traditions. I think that as we were and are looking for our perfect mates, an important question has been, "When does your family have their Christmas gathering?" Anyone who's answer might conflict with our established tradition is quickly booted to the curb.

If that someone had a nice boat or a house on the lake, we might keep him/her around long enough to try to convince them to change his/her Christmas plans - family Christmas is important, but we aren't unreasonable. Especially when a boat is involved.

For years, the kids have made a "gingerbread" house on Christmas Eve. There is no gingerbread involved. It's the cheaters version. Last year, I replaced the "gingerbread" house with snowman cakes. I've been told that it's just not the same. Why did I, who hates for traditions to be jacked with, try to change things? This year we will again be making our candy-covered mansion. Caleb is hoping for a log cabin today - we'll see. Everyone works on sections, so sometimes one side of the house doesn't even match the other.

Whatever you plans, I hope that each of you enjoy time with family and friends, and that somewhere in the chaos you take the time to read the story of our Savior's birth. Consider today how, all those years ago, our lives were changed with the birth of a tiny King.