Going away for our anniversary was awesome, but it did make doing all the traditional Christmas things a bit tricky. We ended up having to squeeze them all in the week right before Christmas. Chris and some of the children went out Saturday to finally buy the tree. He didn’t want to do it before we left, because we have a history of trees that tend to fall over in the middle of the night and that wouldn’t be fair to burden the babysitters with. Because of the storm, the shipment of trees to the store had arrived, but all the trees were frozen together. They would chip you off one, but you couldn’t see what it looked like very well before you purchased it. And Chris is all about aesthetics when it comes to trees.
He called me to tell me the situation, I think hoping I would tell him we had just better wait until it warmed up. But no, I told him I didn’t care what the tree looked like, how much it cost, he wasn’t to come home without one. It was exactly one week before Christmas, after all, and this was getting ridiculous. I’m such a harpy, I know. 🙂 They went to a tree lot that we have always driven past, but never stopped at. Came home with a gorgeous tree. Absolutely stunning. Biggest, fattest, thickest tree we have ever had, and for less money. Guess where he will be getting trees from in the future?
After we got the tree set up, it was time to decorate the gingerbread houses I had baked earlier. For several years I tried the egg white frosting that everyone SAYS works great, but we always ended up with houses falling apart, much frustration on everyone’s part, and not as much fun as we had hoped. Last year I used hot glue to hold them together, which worked great, but did make the houses inedible. They had frosting for the candies, though. It wasn’t a total loss. Still, I needed an even better solution. You know what I discovered? Regular, old buttercream frosting that I make all the time holds those houses together immediately, permanently and deliciously! 
Why I wasted so many years on that stupid other frosting I have no idea, but I am so glad I finally tried this. I filled three pastry bags of the stuff, so that the kids could pass around and share. 
We got the houses put up in record time, and then they were able to decorate (and eat) to their hearts’ content.
We don’t have the same candies available here that I used while growing up, but the kids don’t seem to mind. As long as it tastes good, they’re happy.
I drew windows on Sarah’s house with the frosting, and after that, everyone wanted them. They did look pretty cute.
Here are a few of the finished masterpieces, along with their over-sized residents and joyous creators.
When the houses were as perfect as the kids wanted them, we brought up the boxes of decorations from downstairs and let the kids have at it. The only thing I put on the tree was the lights. I did move a few of the decorations from lower down to higher up, just to balance it a tiny bit, but mostly left it just how the kids did it.
I loved the charm of all the same kind of decoration stuck together because someone just loved that kind, or how there is a definite “Alexandra row” because that was as high as she could reach!
I think it’s beautiful!