How to throw a gingerbread party

Before guests arrive, construct a gingerbread house for each child. You can buy prepared houses or use this easy recipe. Set out bowls of icing and candy that the kids can use in their design. (If older kids want to try piping, fill a resealable bag with icing and cut a tiny hole in the corner.) 

Once the kids are finished, set the houses aside to dry and get busy with games. For Candy Relay, split the guests into two teams and line them up across from each other. Give each child a wrapped candy, and the kids at the front of the line a pair of mittens. When you say “go,” the first kid has to put on the mittens, unwrap the candy and put it in his mouth before passing the mittens to the next in line. The first team to finish wins. Other fun games include Pin the Bowtie on the Gingerbread Man, and Marshmallow Toss, where kids try to toss marshmallows through miniature wreathes.