Hello, Y'all!
Last weekend we had a gingerbread house decorating party! It was so much fun drinking hot chocolate and decorating our gingerbread houses all while having Christmas movies playing in the background. Talk about getting into the Christmas spirit!! One of my favorite festive traditions each year is decorating my gingerbread house and getting to share my love of gingerbread! Hosting a gingerbread house decorating party is a bit different than the normal Holiday party experience. See my tips below on how to make your gingerbread house decorating party a successful occasion.
How to throw a successful gingerbread house decorating party
1. Hand out fun but also informative invitations. Let people know the what, when, and where but also if there is anything particular that they should bring. For instance, I made sure to let everyone know that I was preparing the gingerbread houses, icing, candy, and hot cocoa but I also let them know that they could bring any special candy, snacks, or beverages they wanted.
2. Have the event be an RSVP event. With having to prepare several houses, last-minute additions to the guest list can be tricky.
3. Make gingerbread cookie pieces ahead of time. They will need to cool completely before assembling the houses so I suggest baking one to two days before the party.
4. Leave time for a last minute store run. Or better yet buy double during the first store run. This is especially true if you are making your houses from scratch. I didn't estimate correctly on how many batches I would need to make all seven houses and ended up having to go to the store in the middle of the "snow storm" - not highly recommended.
5. Assemble the houses at least several hours before the party. The fun part is decorating the stressful part is assembling. To make sure you and your guest do not have issues with poor architecture you want to make sure the icing is completely dry before anyone starts decorating.
6. It takes two to tango and it takes two to assemble. Oh my, the gingerbread houses would not have been put together if it wasn't for John Michael. You definitely need someone to hold the roof pieces in place as you make adjustments and prop up the sides.
7. Lay out plastic tablecloths. For a festive look and easy clean up go for a plastic red or holiday patterned tablecloth. Trust me, the really cute plaid one you have can wait until Christmas Eve dinner.
8. Lay out the candy/decorations in a separate area. On the kitchen island, I arranged the different candies, icings, sprinkles, and more for easy access. As a bonus, provide some paper plates so that guests can pick out a bunch of decorating candies at once and use their plate for easy transport.
9. Create an easy hot chocolate bar. What is better than Christmas movies and gingerbread house decorating? Well Christmas movies, gingerbread house decorating, AND hot chocolate. For an easy experience for the guest and host, pre-make the hot cocoa and keep it warm in crafts. I also put out a tray of mini candy canes, marshmallows, and mini gingerbread houses to really make this hot chocolate top notch.
P.S. Only 12 days until Christmas!
Blessings from Birmingham,
