One of my favorite childhood Christmas memories is making gingerbread houses with my sisters.  What fun we had constructing, decorating, and of course, eating the candies!

     Our "gingerbread" houses were not made of actual gingerbread, but of graham crackers.  Graham crackers are  just as pretty, and they're easy to work with.  Plus our mom was a wedding cake decorator, so she had a great recipe for that stiff frosting that would hold everything together perfectly.  All you need is one cup of shortening, 4 T. of hot water, and 4 cups of powdered sugar.  Add the sugar one cup at a time, and mix until smooth.  Keep it covered until you use it, because it will get as hard as a rock!  This frosting makes great little trees and shrubs, icicles, and other trim for your house.

     Make sure you have lots and lots of candies for decorating!  Candy canes, gumdrops, red hots, and M & Ms are some of my favorites.  Marshmallows make good snowmen, and slivered almonds make cute shingles.  Sprinkle your house with plain sugar before the frosting dries, and it will sparkle like new snow!  Happy memory making!