Gingerbread Station
A great addition, to a holiday party, is a Gingerbread Station. I have never met anyone, even the sternest of souls, who with the tiniest bit of prodding, will not pick up an icing bag or box of gumdrops and bring life to gingerbread, be it a structure or creature.
Decorating gingerbread is a great way to break the ice, in a new group of folks, bridge age differences, or bond as a family; and everyone gets to take their party favor home!
Simply choose a place a bit out of the way, from the food and beverage spreads, so that your guest will have room to work, and provide them with the basics, remembering that pre-fabricated kits work beautifully. I like to offer my guests a few extra gingerbread pieces, to help everyone individualize their creation, as well as edible treats, like candy or dry cereal for those who want to think outside of the box; or have a snack. Either a covered piece of card board, a cake board, or disposable metal pan, all work great to house and transport the finished products.
When the season is finished, remember to remove any non-edible pieces from your gingerbread house, and put it outside, for the birds to feast on!
Not to put a downer on tgnhis but please be sure you get lots of pictures with you in them as you know, my dad recently passed away (not a fate I expect for you ANY time soon) but as we went through photos to put together a display board, we realized how many pictures were TAKEN by dad, so he was not in them. Its like I know he was there, but it seems like he was a shadow just on the periphery. I KNOW you participate in their lives, and I KNOW they know it too, but when they are old and forgetful 90-something-year-olds looking through boxes, er uh, computer files for photos for a display at your memorial service, they will wonder where are all the pictures of Mom????(sorry I’m feeling a bit maudlin today. My roommate is out of town for 3 weeks and she took her dog too.)