Who Was the Idiot That Invented Ginger Bread Houses?

By Carrie Wood
Grace lost a tooth a couple of weeks ago and she asked that her "Tooth Fairy Treat" be to build a ginger bread house. We don't believe in the tooth fairy, but my kids definitely don't want to be cheated out of treats like other kids get.

We're ready to build!!!

So this weekend I found a kit on sale and we built a house.
It was special kind of Christmas torture.
The first problem, of course, is that 6 children cannot build one ginger bread house.  But I was not going to shell out $60 so that each kid could have their own. We all crowded around the table so that Mama and Grace could assemble the house and then the Little's could help decorate it.

The master builder.


Her faithful assistant!

The next problem with this particular kit is that it came with several "decorating ideas" that you could use for your house.  But these extra fancy, super cool, extremely detailed designs can only be achieved by professional cake decorators.  Not my 7 year old and not by her very inept-in-the-kitchen mother! The makers of this product just set us up for failure from the get go!

Our ridiculously ugly house.  It looks like its held together with Elmer's glue!

Finally, the whole nature of ginger bread houses is puzzling and irritating.  We build something covered in frosting and candy, but we're not supposed to eat it.  It is a "decoration".  When Christmas finally does come and we are allowed to eat the house, it is stale and gross.  What kind of lame tradition is that?????

Proud of their creation.


And ready to eat it!


OK, maybe just one taste.


The next day we discovered that Louise had been eating the decorations off the roof and took a bite off of the eaves! And I imagine she discovered it was stale and gross!

Next year I think we will skip the ginger bread house and just go straight to a can of frosting and six spoons!  Hope your ginger bread houses and your Christmas will be merry!!!