How to Decorate a Gingerbread House

An unlacquered gingerbread house can last for months. Remember, if you use the structural gingerbread house dough recipe, the cake will be hard and is not meant for eating, but the candy will last from October to January.

You can preserve your gingerbread house creation for years by spraying it with clear acrylic. Make sure you do this in a well-ventilated area and with cardboard behind it to catch the sprays. Let it dry completely and give it another coat. When it's completely dry, you can store it in a box that just fits. You don't want it to have too much room to wobble around.

When you take it out next year, remember to keep it high out of reach of little hands, because, at this point, none of it is edible! Let the adults know, too!