Decorating gingerbread houses is one of the most magical and merry traditions of the holiday season. However, if you find yourself watching gingerbread houses crumble and collapse right in front of your eyes year after year, it’s not so fun anymore. It only takes one disaster to become the laughingstock of the annual gingerbread competition, and it can be hard to recover from that. If you’re tired of the shame and ridicule from family and friends, it’s time to finally impress them. This is a complete guide to building the best gingerbread house that will tell you everything you need to know to leave any competitors speechless.

The first thing that you need to do is ensure the structural integrity of the gingerbread house. The worst-case scenario is a collapse, which is nearly impossible to recover from. It is critical to have patience and grace while building the foundation of the house. I would recommend doing the base before starting on the decorations so that you don’t mess them up while trying to put the house together.

Once you’ve identified the four sides of the house, you’re going to use icing to glue them together. While it may be tempting to just shove them together and hope that it will hold, you must have patience and hold the walls in place until the icing has solidified. Think of it as concrete; it won’t hold anything until it has dried.

Now that you’ve built the base of the gingerbread house, it’s time to decorate. Your kit will probably come with a variety of candies to choose from. The endless possibilities for decorations may feel overwhelming, so it’s good to have a few classic decorations. I recommend adding icing icicles to the roof of the house for a winter wonderland look. Another reliable decoration that is hard to mess up is a wreath above the door. This will give the house a welcoming feel and give you a starting point for the rest of the decorations.

There are many different ways to arrange decorations, but one thing that will set you apart from the competition is setting a theme or story for the house. Strategically placing the decorations in a way that fits a backstory or theme will elevate the house and blow the judges away. If you want to take it to another level, making the story emotional or heartwarming is sure to win the judge’s hearts.

To elevate the decorations themselves, it’s good to think outside of the box. The whole world is your canvas, so don’t be afraid to decorate outside and around the house. This will add another layer of depth to the house and it will get you creativity points. Also, remember that you are not limited to the decorations that are provided to you; bringing your own candies is another clever touch that will elevate the house.

With these additions, you no longer have to worry about another embarrassing gingerbread house. Just follow these simple steps and I can assure you that your house will stand out from the crowd and dazzle your friends and family.