Christmastime is all about creating memories and spending time with friends and family. Do you and your family celebrate any special traditions? Today I’m sharing one of my favorites: How To Host A {Gingerbread House Party} {Part II}. {Part I} was posted earlier this week so feel free to click on the link to view that post. This was our 5th year celebrating this fun tradition and is always the perfect way to kick off the Christmas season. 
It’s always so much fun to see how creative and imaginative everyone is. No two houses are ever alike and everyone always seems to come up with bigger and better ideas every year.
My son decided to take on the tedious task of creating a log cabin this year. I was amazed at the patience and steady hand that this took. When he was finished the entire gingerbread house was completely covered!
Before I share the rest of everyones incredible creations I”ll share a few pictures of how I set everything up.
I definitely go a little overboard in the candy department. You certainly don’t need to buy as much of an assortment to have a great party. 
As you can imagaine things can get a bit sticky so to help with clean up I always spread a plastic drop cloth out under our work area. I bought one for about $2.50 at Home Depot in the paint department. I also use plastic table cloths to cover the tables which are very inexpensive as well and definitely help keep the mess to a minimum. 
I like to display the candy in clear plastic cups so it’s readably available and easy to see. 
You don’t need to limit your decorations to just candy either. Cereals, pretzels and ice cream cones are great too. Use your imagination!
I also like to have a sprinkle station. Colorful sugars, dragees and nonpareils are great for adding extra details to your house.
The first step to creating your beautiful Gingerbread House takes the most patience. Pipe a thick strip of icing on your end pieces and then attach your side pieces to them. Using a thicker consistency royal icing will definitely help. If your icing is too thin your pieces will slide and it takes longer to set. 
Apply gentle pressure until the icing begins to set. If you have young children you may want to do this part for them and leave the decorating to them. 
Once your icing is set you can add icing to the top edges and attach your roof pieces. Hold them until they set and then add some icing to the base of your house and attach it to your board to prevent it from sliding off. Now you are ready to get to the fun part. Decorating! 
And now the moment you’ve been waiting for! Drumroll please………………….
I created a little gingerbread house village with the kids beautiful masterpieces and added some mini Chrismas lights. It puts a smile on my face whenever I walk past it. 🙂
I hope you enjoyed sharing in our {Gingerbread House Party}! Now that you have seen How To Host A {Gingerbread House Party} {Part II} and {Part I} I hope you’re inspired to host a party of your own! It’s a great way to ignite the magic of Christmas!
Merry Christmas from our family to yours!
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I will be sharing this recipe at the following link parties:
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Thanks Judy! I’ll be there!
Those all look amazing and super yummy. I’d love to attend one of your parties, it looks like a ton of fun! Thanks for linking up to Sweet and Savoury Sunday, stop by and link up again. Have a great day!!