How to Run a Gingerbread House Competition

I personally enjoy the days leading up to Christmas more than the actual day when gifts are exchanged. I will share a series of posts about my family's favorite Christmas traditions that bring joy, laughter, and quality time with loved ones each year.

As a child, I fondly remember the Atlanta Festival of Trees, where an exciting gingerbread competition was held. The festival featured beautiful Christmas trees and a fun pink pig ride for children. This event's festive atmosphere and holiday spirit created a special place in my heart.

Years later, once I was an adult, my mom created a new tradition that brings back this childhood memory but with a much more hilarious twist.

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Look at this beaut!

How to prepare?

1. Buy a gingerbread house kit:

These days, there are many options. If you have younger kids, you can also do foam or cardboard kits instead of real gingerbread. You can also just do this with a printed sheet with stickers and markers if that fits your family better. Here are a few I found on Amazon to inspire you. These links will take you to Amazon.

• Two house gingerbread house kit

• Mini village gingerbread house kit

• Foam gingerbread craft kit

• Make-a-Gingerbread house stickers kit

2. Choose a person to judge these beauties at the end

• This, of course, is optional but fun for older children or adults

3. Put everyone into small groups:

• You don't want to have many people in one group so everyone can contribute. You can also let it be an individual activity based on your situation. We did 2 or 3 people in each group.

4. Set up a timer:

• We usually do 30 minutes to an hour with 2-3 team members in each group. We do this with adults, so you may need to scale down with younger kids with less attention spans. If you are using paper or 3D foam/cardboard kits, they are made for a younger audience and shouldn't take as long to complete.

If you are the judge, what can you measure?

• The beauty of the design

• The level of creativity used

• The story behind the design

We went more for the creative. Honestly, none of ours have ever really been "pretty" as you can clearly see in the images.

All the creativity

What if you win?

We participate in Christmas activities solely to win and have fun. If you're interested in a prize, you can choose from various options such as cash, food treats, getting the best front seat in the car, homemade gift certificates, or picking the Christmas movie you want to watch. There are many options to choose from. If you want a cute Christmas gift certificate, here is a free one for you!

Christmas Gift Certificate.pdf

Download PDF • 367KB

The judge and the winners one year

Conclusion

There are endless possibilities to make it an enjoyable experience for everyone in the family while also providing a break from screen time. It's a perfect way to spend quality time with the family and make the holiday season even more special. Have fun, and can't wait to hear about it!

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If you liked this post, I have two other new traditions to try this holiday season, like out-of-the-box matching family PJs theme ideas or meaningful ornaments!