Gingerbread Houses & More Family Holiday Activities

The holiday season is full of much needed time off for everyone. It's the time of year when kids are home from school and parents are off work. There will be time for everyone to simply hang out, even between all of the shopping to finish up gift lists, attending holiday parties, traveling, cooking (recipes), putting up decorations, and countless other holiday season activities.

Enjoy some play time for both adults and children this holiday season by creating Gingerbread Houses & Towns! Get an ingredients list, Gingerbread-making tips, and more holiday activity ideas for kids of all ages.

Gingerbread Houses & Towns
This is the perfect opportunity to stay warm inside, turn on some Christmas music, make some hot chocolate and get in the spirit of the holidays by creating something unique together. Turn off the TV and shut off the video games; it's time to have fun creating one-of-a-kind masterpieces of art!

Momma's Gingerbread Town

As described in Holiday Activity Ideas for Children, my Mom and sister would have a Gingerbread House Party over the holidays to celebrate both my sister's birthday and Christmas. It's an activity that children and teenagers alike enjoy because they are free to be as creative and festive as they want. Building a masterpiece worthy of eating and showing off with pride through the holidays is an activity every kid enjoys. Transform your holiday experience with your children and create some lasting memories this holiday season!

Momma's Gingerbread Town Ingredients:

• Graham Crackers
• Gingerbread
• Powdered Sugar
• Food Coloring
• White Icing (that's where food coloring comes in)
• Pretzel sticks
• Tootsie Rolls
• M&M's (plain & p-nut)
• Skittles
• Raisins
• Marshmellows (small)
• Toothpicks
• Old birthday cake figurines (ex: Snow White & The 7 Dwarfs)
• Animal Crackers
• Gummies
• Gumdrops
• Licorice
• Peppermint
• Candy Canes (miniature)

You can add any ingredients you like, those are just a few of the ones used most. If you are too busy to bake your own gingerbread, there are ready made kits in stores you can buy. More than likely, you'll want to make sure you add some more ingredients (listed above) to really make an extraordinary house. Get friends and family to join in on the fun and create Gingerbread Houses & Towns of unique design and imagination!

 [ It took 2 pictures to capture this one-of-a-kind Gingerbread Town. There is so much detail!]

Gingerbread Tip 1
To make railroads or walkways, you can take Tootsie Rolls and roll them between your palms until they are stringy like spaghetti then lay them around or through your Gingerbread Town!

Gingerbread Tip 2
If you have to stop building and don't want your house and materials to dry out, seal it in plastic wrap.

Gingerbread Tip 3
Use an old shoebox, or cardboard box to put your Gingerbread house on that way it is easier to transport.

Celebrating-Christmas.com has numerous ideas for creating your Gingerbread experience. Click here and find gingerbread recipes, no-bake alternatives, gingerbread house blueprints, tips for designing landscapes and model houses. There is no limit to imagination, so dive right in with your kids and have fun building, designing, eating and shaping your own Gingerbread houses and towns over the holiday break!

Family Holiday Activity Ideas
Holiday activity ideas are meant to heighten a family's bonding experience and create a lifetime of cherished memories. There are many ways you can get creative this holiday season. Here are a few more ideas you can bring to life with your kids this holiday season.

• Hand-Crafted Ornaments: Buy blank ornaments from an arts & crafts store, a little paint, some newspaper and you're ready to go! Kids love making their own creations, and being able to show off their handy work on trees and wreaths makes it even better. A perfect opportunity for kids to make gifts for grandparents, parents, siblings and friends. Plus, it's a memory worth creating when they can look back 10, 20, 30 years from now and admire their childhood creations every holiday season.

•  Snow Flakes: Remember folding up construction paper and cutting snowflakes and angels to hang on your Christmas tree? It's an easy activity that allows your children to entertain themselves and contribute to holiday decorations. All you need is some construction paper, kid-safe scissors, glue, crayons, or markers. After they've cut out designs, have them decorate them and then hang them on the tree, give as gifts, or send them in Christmas cards!

•  Christmas Coloring Pages and Printable Activities: We found a ton of Christmas themed printable activities at ABCteach.com that are sure to keep you and your kids having some relaxed fun over the holidays. Just print them out and get set up with colored pencils, crayons and washable markers and let them create their own masterpieces! Make sure to stay involved with praise and questions while they color, or better yet join in on the fun!

From our family to yours, Picnic-Basket.com would like to wish you all a very Merry Holiday Season. It's the best time of the year so laugh, love, and be merry!