I grew up making gingerbread houses each Christmas season. I’ve continued the tradition with my kids, and I love designing and decorating my own little house just as much as they do! We like to make ours early so we can have a fun piece of decor to add to the ambiance all season long. Today I’m sharing ALL my best tips and tricks to make sure your gingerbread houses are easy, festive, and stress-free! 

1. Use Graham Crackers

Does this tip completely surprise you or is it something you already do? The easiest way to make gingerbread houses is to not even use gingerbread at all! I grew up making them this way and have continued the same method with my kids. Graham crackers are already made and stiff enough to hold up well.

2. Cut the Crackers with a Serrated Knife

We love to get creative with angles and shapes and a serrated knife makes that possible! We gently “saw” the crackers back and forth to create any shape we need for our construction creativity.

3. Assemble with a Glue Gun

We don’t mess around with icing during assembly (it just never works and no one is going to eat a stale gingerbread house anyway). Instead, we use a low-heat glue gun to keep things structurally sound and no one is the wiser!

4. Use a Cake Board Base

Cake boards are really affordable and make the perfect base for a gingerbread house. They look fantastic but you also won’t be heartbroken when you throw them out at the end of the season. We glue the house to the board before decorating.

5. Use a Muffin Tin to Hold Supplies

Muffin tins are magical devices that make sorting candies and gingerbread house supplies a breeze. We also love to get creative when decorating! Aside from candy, some of our favorite things to use are sliced almonds, Life cereal, rosemary for wreaths, and sugar cones for pine trees.

Now I need to know, are you a graham cracker house kinda person or a true homemade gingerbread house kinda person? And better yet, if you weren’t a gingerbread house person at all – have I convinced you to take the leap?

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