Product Parade: Gingerbread Houses

Trader Joe's Gingerbread House Kits

I confess to loving a good and messy craft every once in awhile.  And why not at the holidays?   When our kids were little, they received gingerbread house kits from family friends (Thanks Noelle & Marjorie!) and so began an annual tradition of decorating gingerbread houses in our family.  One year it was a train (yikes - luckily Aunt Deb was around to help put that together!) and other years we purchased homemade kits through a local charity. 

This year we'll be decorating kits with cousins on the Friday after Thanksgiving and I snapped up four kits at Trader Joe's today. These adorable little ski chalet kits were only $7.99 a piece.  I understand the icing will take a little work - but extra icing is a must for this lavish crew. And although the kits include candy - we always add generously from a host of favorites and the occasional leftover from Halloween.  I think these kits will be perfect for a group - charming enough to inspire some creativity but small enough to finish in an afternoon.  We'll be sure to post some pics of the process and their masterpieces!