I have written in the past about the tradition of making gingerbread men in my family.  My brother and I did it every year with my mom and really got into elaborate decorating.  We would take turns as the “icer” (spreading the icing) and the “decorator” (doing the sugars and other goodies).  I always liked to make mine into well-dressed gingerbread extended families – we had gingerbread men and women cookie cutters in three sizes.  I’d add things like ties and belts on the guys and jumpers and sweaters on my girls.  I have many fond memories of doing this together in our kitchen through the years.

Now I am trying to keep this tradition going with the children in my life.  Yesterday the boys each took a turn helping me roll out the dough and cut out the cookies.  We got them baked and ready for some decorating tonight at Sunday dinner.

The family that wears aprons together, stays together

After dinner this evening, Josh and the children joined around the table for some decorating.  I mixed up some of the simple frosting (powdered sugar and water) and they each got a plate.  This is different from how we did it, but it seems to work for this group.  They each iced one and then decorated and then ate.  To think – we used to do 100+ cookies!  One or two each and they were done.  Looks like they had fun though…

Josh said his was an “alien man”

This was little Bailey’s first experience with gingerbread decorating so Robyn showed her how to do the icing

Cousins

Uncle Josh fed little Hudson some sprinkles

For the full recipe and pictures from last year, see my post from last December.