How to Host the Best Gingerbread House Party

Two years ago, at the height of the pandemic when life was bleak, I wanted a way to connect with the grandkids and give them some holiday fun. So, I hosted a virtual gingerbread house party over FaceTime. It was the perfect remote get-together.

This year, we had the gingerbread house party in person. The whole family participated as a kick-off to the holidays.

Make these delicious Dark Chocolate Truffles for gift-giving.

First, a caveat: instead of baking gingerbread, we use graham crackers. The crackers simplify construction and the kids dislike gingerbread, anyway.

Preparation for the Gingerbread House Party

To find out how to make these “gingerbread” houses, go to my previous post, where I explain how to cut the crackers, how to assemble the houses, and detail some of the candy we used. Instead of buying icing tubes, which worked better for a long distance party, this year, I made my favorite Lemon Royal Icing.

Your party can simply consist of providing the graham crackers, candy, and icing. It’s an easy afternoon project to entertain the kids during winter break.

Refreshments for a Gingerbread House Party

If you want to go the extra mile, provide some party snacks. I made a batch of Chex Mix (substituting pita chips for bagel chips) and packaged each portion in cellophane bags, tied with red ribbons.

For another healthy nibble, it takes minutes to make hummus. I served it with pita chips left over from the Chex Mix, and a few vegetables scrounged from my fridge.

For a drink, nothing is more festive than apple cider, mulled with orange and apple slices, cinnamon sticks, and a few cloves.

Set-Up for the Gingerbread House Party

Our party consisted of seven people: the two grandkids and their parents, two grandparents and one uncle. To prep:

• Purchase graham crackers and candy. Look for colorful candies and candies with a holiday theme. Include sprinkles and candy decorations.
• Pre-cut the pieces for the gingerbread houses. This prefab step makes it easier for the participants to assemble their houses.

• Make a gingerbread house in advance for each child for immediate engagement. Once they’ve had fun decorating their gingerbread house, they’ll be ready to construct one of their own.
• Meanwhile, adults can make their own houses using the prefab graham cracker pieces.

How Much to Buy?

It’s hard to gauge how many boxes of graham crackers you will need. I estimate we used about 2 1/2 (14.4-ounce) boxes for the seven of us. However, we did more than make the basic gingerbread house–people made double-wide houses, driveways, and other clever construction projects.

I made two batches of royal icing, put into four pastry bags that we shared.

It’s also hard to estimate how much candy you will need. Get the widest variety you can afford and buy it from a store that will accept returns for any unopened packages.

After the Gingerbread House Party

To take the gingerbread houses home, I set each on a red cocktail-size paper plate and wrapped it with cellophane, tying shut with a red ribbon. For larger gingerbread houses, if you don’t have larger plates, cut a section off of two smaller plates and join the plates together with clear packing tape on the underside.

Picture Gallery of Gingerbread Houses

Here are some of the houses we made last week. Instead of sticking to the basic house construction, my partygoers let their imaginations run wild and came up with many clever variations.

Variations on a Theme

Instead of billing this as a party, you can make these gingerbread houses as a casual afternoon activity when kids need something to do. Or unlike my informal family party, you could host a true party, inviting outside adult or child guests, and serving more elaborate refreshments.

If you live away from the grandkids, you could ship them the construction materials, keeping duplicates for yourself, and you can make the houses together over FaceTime or zoom as we did two years ago. You’ll want parental involvement for younger kids.

However you do it, this is a project that will get everyone thinking creatively and provide a couple of hours of rewarding holiday entertainment. Play some Christmas music as you work to get everyone into the spirit.

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