How to Host a Gingerbread House Decorating Party

A gingerbread house party is one of the most satisfying gatherings to host in December. Everyone goes home with something they made, kids and adults are equally engaged, and the candy and icing keep guests focused and laughing for a solid two hours. The main trick is in the prep: this party requires more advance shopping than most, and you need an accurate headcount before you buy anything.

Send Invitations Two to Three Weeks Out

December calendars fill faster than any other month. Send your invitations two to three weeks before the party and ask for a firm RSVP — this is not a party where you can estimate attendance. You need to buy exactly one gingerbread house kit per guest, plus a few spares for accidents, so every unconfirmed response costs you money or leaves you short. Set up a free RSVP page so responses land in one place rather than scattered across texts and DMs. See our party invitation timing guide for general rules on lead times by event type.

How Many Guests to Invite

The sweet spot for a gingerbread house party is six to ten guests. Beyond twelve, the table gets crowded and the supply prep becomes unwieldy — each person needs their own dedicated workspace and their own house. If you want a larger gathering, have guests share houses in pairs, which halves your kit count and works well for couples or young children partnered with an adult.

Kits vs. Building from Scratch

Use store-bought kits. They come pre-baked, pre-cut, and sometimes pre-assembled, which means you spend less time in the kitchen and more time with your guests. Kits are widely available at grocery stores, big-box retailers, and craft stores from November through December.

If you prefer a from-scratch option — or want to add a baking element to the event — graham crackers pressed together with royal icing make a lower-cost alternative that works just as well for decorating. No baking required.

What to Buy

Once your headcount is confirmed, build your shopping list around the exact number attending:

• Gingerbread house kits — one per guest, plus two or three extras for broken panels
• Piping bags — pre-loaded with royal icing before guests arrive (squeeze bottles also work)
• Candy and decorations — gumdrops, candy canes, peppermints, mini marshmallows, chocolate pretzels, and sprinkles; plan to buy more than you think you need since guests inevitably eat a fair amount before decorating
• Small bowls or muffin tins — to sort candy into individual portions or shared center bowls
• Cardboard or cake boards — one per house, so guests can carry their finished creation home
• Disposable tablecloths or butcher paper — icing and candy will cover every surface, so protect your table
• Wet wipes and paper towels — keep them within reach at every station

Setting Up the Stations

Set up individual stations before guests arrive. Each person should find at their seat: a pre-assembled gingerbread house on a cardboard base, one or two pre-loaded piping bags of royal icing, and their own small portion of candy (or a clear path to shared candy bowls in the center of the table).

Assemble the houses yourself beforehand using royal icing as the adhesive — it takes approximately two hours to fully set at room temperature, so build them the morning of the party or the night before. Some hosts use hot glue for a faster bond, though hot-glued houses cannot be eaten afterward. Once the structure is solid, place each house on its cardboard base and cover loosely with plastic wrap until guests arrive.

Cover your entire table with butcher paper or a disposable tablecloth. This cleanup step is worth more than any other prep decision you'll make.

Food and Drinks

A hot cocoa bar is the near-universal anchor for this party. Set up a slow cooker of hot chocolate with toppings alongside: marshmallows, whipped cream, peppermint stir sticks, and sprinkles. The peppermint sticks do double duty as decorating supplies, which guests find genuinely amusing. For adult gatherings, warm spiced cider or mulled wine alongside the cocoa rounds things out nicely.

Keep the food savory and low-mess. A charcuterie board, a cheese and crackers tray, or a bowl of mixed nuts is ideal — anything hands-free that doesn't leave sticky residue on guests' fingers. Save more elaborate spreads for before decorating starts or after the houses are finished. Greasy or sticky appetizers make icing work frustrating.

Running the Party

Plan for the entire gathering to run about two hours. A natural flow:

1. Arrivals and snacks (15–20 minutes) — guests mingle while you do any last-minute station prep
2. Decorating (45–60 minutes) — the main event
3. Display and judging (optional, 15–20 minutes) — line up the finished houses for a group admiration session with or without silly award categories
4. More cocoa and conversation — let the icing set before anyone tries to move their house

Give guests minimal direction and let creativity take over. Some will build elaborate royal-icing snowscapes; others will load every piece of candy onto the roof. That variety is the point.

Sending Guests Home

The cardboard base under each house makes it portable. Give guests a few minutes for their icing to firm up before they move the house, and have a few small cardboard boxes on hand if you want to protect them for the drive home. The house becomes a decoration on guests' own holiday tables — which is the kind of takeaway people actually remember.

For more December party ideas, see our guides to hosting a Christmas party and hosting a cookie exchange. When you're ready to collect RSVPs, a live Christmas party RSVP example shows exactly what your guests will see — or create your own RSVP page in minutes.