Sometimes it is interesting how a tradition doesn’t start with the intention of making it a tradition. This was the case with our now annual gingerbread house. One year a few years back during a spur of the moment purchase I bought a gingerbread house kit thinking it would be something fun to do with Honey for the holidays.
The next year she couldn’t wait to get a gingerbread house kit. So the tradition began! Each year during the holidays Honey and I purchase a gingerbread house kit and we take an afternoon and put it together and she decorates it with loads of candy. This year we chose a Wilton product, little did we know the house itself was already put together. This was kind of nice and saved us the step of getting it together and waiting for it to dry.
Honey decided to follow the decorations for one of the houses. Here she is working on flattening some gumdrops (not an easy task) and decorating her house.
I love what stared out as an impulse buy is turning into a memory my daughter will take with her to her own family. I’m sure she will remember that each year her and her mother decorated a gingerbread house. Here is our finished product.
As I mentioned above we ended up with two houses this year. Last year during a trip to the dollar store I picked up a $3 gingerbread house craft. I thought it might be something fun since Honey LOVES her crafts. I picked it up long before Thanksgiving. When it came time to put it together I couldn’t find it. Half way through the year I found it under one of my cabinets so we tucked it into a safe place to finally do this year. This cutie is a little added decoration that we put up in Honey’s room.
How about you do you have any traditions that you have handed down to your kids from your childhood? Or have you started any new traditions?
daniel healey says
We always make a house together as a family, this year was the gingerbread santa slieghs.
martha yusko says
thats so cute 🙂
martha yusko says
Merry Christmas 🙂
Elizabeth K says
I have never made a gingerbread house, but this looks like a lot of fun.
Gretta says
We always put together a gingerbread house, train, etc. each year with the kids. However, the said creation is usually eaten within a week or at least all the candy is picked off the beautiful creation before its over with. LOL
Julie Lindsey Davis says
I love making these with my kids 🙂
Sara Phillips says
Our favorite tradition is baking and decorating sugar cookies from scratch!!!
Angie says
I love making ginger bread houses with my kids every year
Kristie D. says
I have new holiday traditions with my husband like going to look at Christmas lights. I hope to start a tradition with my twin niece and nephew though. I bought them Christopher Pop-in-Kins. It’s like Elf on a Shelf only WAY less creepy. They are only 17 months. So maybe next year. I did try to make gingerbread from scratch once for a house. Saying that it did not go well is an understatement. Merry Christmas. kristiedonelson(at)gmail(dot)com Thank you.
Patricia says
That is sweet. We like to make sugar cookies and decorate them
Lisa D says
Traditions from childhood passed down are the advent calendar, the christmas coundown, and decorating the tree as a family
Elena says
Looks amazing! I never made a gingerbread house, but you inspired me to try!
Amber says
We always bake gingerbread cookies to leave out for santa – but we eat most of them ourselves with hot cocoa!
Jessie C. says
Making something together is such a sweet thing. Love this tradition.
Jacqueline Griffin says
This is so cute! My daughter in law is one of four girls and her family has tradition where all the girls and their spouses decorate a gingerbread house and then the grand kids choose the one that’s the best! LOL!
Christina Tong says
We baked cookies together in Christmas when my daughter was a kid and now she is doing the same with her children in Christmas. It’s fun and good memory to both daughter and Mom.
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April V. says
I think that my favorite Christmas tradition isn’t really a tradition as much as a habit. Being the youngest of three and a girl to the older boys, it would have been easy for my brothers to leave me out of things (I am 9 years younger than the youngest ofmy brothers) but they always made a point of getting me up to join them down by the tree on Christmas morning while our parents were still sleeping so that we could check out what was in our stockings and play the ‘guess what is in this box’ game.
Cynthia C says
When the kids were small they had so much fun decorating cookies. The messes were worth it.
Happi Shopr says
We bake cookies, pies and brownies together and I am sure the girls will bake with their kids as well.
Eric says
The big bad wolf would get in that gingerbread house no problem. SHAZAM!
Vicki Chrzanowski says
Very Cute!! My children are older so the traditions of baking cookies have been passed down to my grandchildren.
Kelly Massman says
I think it is such a good idea to do projects like this with your kids. It helps keep their memories special!
Linda Stewart says
This year we started Elf on the Shelf for the boys. My daughter and I have always had a tradition of making candy and cookies the weekend before Christmas then we sit up all night Christmas Eve wrapping presents.
Susan Smith says
I baked and decorated sugar cookies with my Mom and then we would give them away to friends and neighbors and that’s a tradition that I share with my children.
Cheryl Free says
That looks like so much fun. I was never blessed with children, so I’m missing out on family traditions like that.
Trasina McGahey says
We make Sugar cookies every year with lots of fun Christmas shapes. We make all kinds of colored frostings and have all the sprinkles and decorations you can imagine. Boy is it messy but the kids LOVE it and look forward to it every year!
Kimberlie T. says
We make Christmas cutout cookies every year and decorate them. The boys each pick one to set out for Santa on Christmas Eve. I like the Gingerbread house idea but we like to eat our creations, so the houses don’t make the cut.
Deborah Wallin says
This is our second year of doing a gingerbread house, as well. I liked that it was already put together, because that was our biggest problem last year. It wasn’t wanting to stay. Yours turned out very nice
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Laura Miller says
We have an unintentional tradition of picking out new ornaments every year. l’m glad it happened, its super sentimental getting them out every year.
Jo-Ann Brightman says
I am glad Coca Cola is trying to save the polar bears and I like your gingerbread house
Wendi says
we also do little houses, we also make cookies and decorate them Christmas eve. Its so much fun spending that time as a family
Ann Fudge Cluck says
I always wanted to do this with my kids. Awesome!!!
Jessica Cox says
We always bake cookies and make hoilday candy as a family.
Holly Thomas says
Bake Cookies!! 🙂
kelli says
Love spending time with my granddauhter at Christmas…..we usually do some baking and take in the Nutcracker ballet……come home and enjoy our rewards……………..a lot of fun hoping she will carry these traditions on with her own granddaughter someday…………….
Jodi Hoppe Wresh says
When i was younger, it was more about baking and decorating cookies. but it was my older cousin who we got to help along with her kids making the gingerbread houses. it was always so much fun!
Haley M. says
Awww, too cute. My mom & I always watch the same 4 movies together each year the week of Christmas :]
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Natalie U says
I love gingerbread houses and especially if they are made with real gingerbread and not graham crackers!! We received one as a Christmas gift and it’s absolutely beautiful but really expensive. I had to be nosy and google the company to possibly order one for my home and it was $80!!!
Kari Howell says
I started my own traditions with my kids. We bake cookies for Santa and we make reindeer food to make sure Santa can see our house. 🙂
Hannah B says
I think it’s a lovely tradition. I’ve never made one, but it looks like so much fun!
Michelle S says
So far we haven’t started any holiday traditions because she is so young, but I can imagine we will start one when she gets older.
Elizabeth K says
I have never made a gingerbread house, but it sure looks fun.
Doris C says
I have never made a house that’s what my husband does because I have no patience with decorating because
I am so bad at it! I am a great cook but when it comes to baking I am good at loaves and everything else I burn to a crisp and have no imagination when it comes to decorating those kind of things but I really like them done:)
Angela Michels says
These are so cute! What a great tradition that you can carry on your entire lifetime. I am sure this is something they will pass onto their kids one day and every time they see a gingerbread house they will think of you and the memories you’ve made. 🙂
Angela Michels
MsAngelasFinds
Mary M. says
One thing I like to do is give little “thank you” gifts (home made cookies, crafts, etc.) at Christmas time. My children have followed this tradition. We have found that doing things for others makes us enjoy the season even more.
jesus gonzalez says
just so much fun for the kiddos!!
Shirley pebbles says
We always leave a quarter in the mailbox new years eve and each take it out on new years day. It means u will have money coming in all year long and it is a tradition I did with my parents.
Kristina Lindberg says
I used to love making those when I was a kid!
Laura says
That is such a special tradition!
Beverly says
We’ve started our own traditions. We still need to make our gingerbread house.
amy warren says
my girls and i make gingerbread houses every year!
Shaunda Eppes says
My son and I did a gingerbread house last year and we loved making it.
Shaunda.Eppes at gmail dot com
Shelly Peterson says
Ive always wanted to make a ginger bread house. we make home made ornaments every year. some to keep and some to give away
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Terry Cross says
We make Christmas cookies but I do like the gingerbread house idea. You guys did a great job of decorating yours! I like the craft one too, so cute!
clynsg says
A tradition that started with my grandparents was to begin opening the gifts in reverse age order, probably so that the littlest ones didn’t have to wait impatiently for their turn. Of course, my grandfather would sit quietly in a corner and open all his while we were watching everyone else, and my father continued that –it was almost as much a tradition as the opening order!
shirley carr says
What a beautiful house! I like the first one best!
Sarah L says
Making candy cane cookies together.