Haunted Gingerbread Houses

I love traditions...especially Halloween traditions. It is so hard for me to break them! I wish I could have had one more week to write this post, because it seems like all of our favorite family traditions are happening just a little bit too late this year... our annual trip top the Two Brother's Pumpkin Patch with grandma and grandpa, decorating my house (which I started, then took a "quick" trip to JoAnn's for supplies, and now find myself in the middle of a million little unfinished projects--needless to say we are not in a good place for photographing any of those yet...), and of course making our haunted gingerbread houses!

These are photographs from last year--oh they are fun every year!
I thought we were pretty clever and unique in creating these fun little holiday mansions, but Holy Smokes, was I mistaken! Looking online I couldn't believe what people can do with a little cookie dough and icing!...maybe you are one of them. :) And if you are, hooray! I think decorating a haunted gingerbread house is something everyone should do at least once.

Here are a few things to think about when you decide to give it a try:

• Make sure you have a grave yard--snickers and other little candy bars make perfect graves!
• Burn the gingerbread just a little bit--the black edges add to the creepy, haunted feel!
• Cover the whole thing with cobwebs when you're done (it helps to keep it from getting eaten--but not for long!).

Decorating haunted gingerbread houses is a tradition my mom started when I was young. Now I am doing it each year with my daughter. My sister does it with her family, and even when we were away from home at college we found a way to make a haunted gingerbread house! It's just another way that the holidays can bring us together.

Sunday is the big day for our haunted gingerbread house this year...and I can hardly wait!