My wonderful neighbor Meghan hosts a gingerbread party for neighborhood and school friends every year. She works really hard on it but it is so worth it because the kids really love it (and she must too or she would not keep doing this!). The basic premise has not change but she has found that some candies work better than others, and that you can never have enough royal frosting (Joy of Cooking)!
Here's the table ready for the kids to start decorating. All of the houses are pre-made by Meg and her husband Jeff (see recipes and tutorial here). They make the gingerbread well in advance and freeze it so they don't have a made rush in the days leading up to the party. Fortunately you don't really have to worry about staleness since these are better for looking than eating.
Balloons are always a big hit. This year Harris Teeter is carrying brown balloons - perfect for gingerbread parties!
Each child has their own candy dish. About 75% of the candy makes it onto the houses. 25%... doesn't.
The kids had some time to run off their sugar highs while we did a quick clean-up and reset the table for snack time (popcorn and bananas to counterbalance the sugar!).
As parents started to arrive, Meghan and Jeff did the awards ceremony. Here's Elizabeth with her award! I was so proud of her house - she worked really hard and probably would still be working if we had not pulled her away!
Thanks again Meghan for another great Gingerbread Party!
