10 amazing gingerbread houses

Once the holidays hit, it's time to swap Lego blocks for gingerbread, and start construction on your family's own one-of-a-kind gingerbread house.

Some folks take this holiday tradition to a whole new kid-impressing level. Forget about four walls and a roof smeared with gum drops, these gingerbread creations are far cooler than that!

Gather your kids around, and take our gingerbread tour.

This pretty little gingerbread cabin reminds us of the delicious house from Hansel and Gretel.

But don't worry, there's no scary old witch here, just a stunning display of snow-white icing and sugary sweetness. 

You probably need a degree in gingerbread to pull this one off!

This cool castle (courtesy of Cool Gingerbread Houses) will thrill the kiddies.

"London Bridge is falling down, falling down..."

Wait. We sure hope this gingerbread bridge isn't going to collapse. Can you imagine the sticky clean up? 

This is the ultimate for Star Wars fans. Yes, that is an AT-AT battle vehicle before you. And yes, it's edible!

This sci-fi guy was put together by Blackmarket Bakery (via Inhabitat.com), and offers a fun alternative to more traditional gingerbread designs.

This gingerbread family lives in serious style.

Their posh estate is actually available from Williams-Sonoma (where you can customize the name on the front of the house, for a pretty penny) should you decide to forgo the homemade fun of "gluing" together your own gingerbread building.

This giant gingerbread tower currently resides in Toronto's Ritz Carlton. At 17 feet tall, it's a super cool (and tasty) tribute to the real landmark, which clocks in at an impressive 1,815.4 feet.

We love the gingerbread creations that celebrate national pride!

This gingerbread house is modeled after historic homes from the far east.

The delicate tiers are free from candy canes and lifesavers (to show off its elegant design), so, ok, this one might be more impressive to parents.

Now, here's one you can probably pull off at home. These mini gingerbread houses are the perfect compliment to a mug of hot cocoa — you might find the little ones are more excited to play house then sip their drink, though. Can you blame them?

Get step-by-step instructions at Notmartha.com

"C'est fantastique!" Brush up on your French as you marvel at this lovely little gingerbread scene (created by Hanielas.com).

Tell your little ones that this is close to where Madeline lives, "in an old house in Paris that's covered in vines."

Little girls will love this too-cute carousel made of gingerbread. We love the pretty ponies most of all.