gingerbread people kits

Making cut-out cookies and letting the children frost and decorate them as a party activity is pretty much my go-to for all our parties.  We've done it for years at our Halloween parties and I continue to do it because the kids love it so much.  But let's be honest.  It's usually a big mess and kind of chaotic to get all the kids seated and with cookies and a kid-friendly knife with little pots of colored frosting.  There's plenty of jostling for the best sprinkles and colors and, well, yeah, it's a nightmare.  I've relied on helpful moms and dads at our parties to assist me in getting this process to work.  It's not easy.  Fun, but not easy.

For our Christmas party this year, I wanted the kids to decorate gingerbread people but I didn't want the hassle of it all.  I started making the gingerbread people and as I was rolling out the dough, had a bright idea to make little kits.  Prepackaged gingerbread people kids, complete with cookies, frosting and candy.  Perfection!  No fighting over the candy bowls or frosting knifes.  Everyone gets the same amount and it also limits the kids from eating handfuls of the decorative candy.  

This idea created more work for me because I packaged all the frosting in tiny sealed bags (the kids will pipe the frosting from the end of the bag by sniping a corner with scissors), and the candy, so I had to sort out a small amount of this and that for 40 gingerbread people kits.  Okay, so this was a lot more work for me. But, it will pay off on party day!

To be honest, the tedious part was rolling, cutting and baking 80 gingerbread people.  The minute I started, I was regretting my bright idea.  I pressed on (pun intended) and each gingerbread people kit is actually a little family.  A dad, mom and baby gingerbread family.  It was Addie's idea and it's pretty darn cute.  

Luckily, I had a stash of Christmas printed cellophane bags with twist ties because  my mother keeps me supplied.  Thank goodness.  

frosting, to pipe just snip one corner at the bottom

The great thing is that the kids can grab and bag and take it outside to a table and decorate their little gingerbread family whenever they want.  This way, we don't have to decide on at time to schlep all the supplies outside and deem it "gingerbread decorating time". 

I think the kids are going to love it!