Hofsas House Hotel

Want to be more festive this holiday season? Then the art of creating holiday gingerbread houses is where it’s at. You know you want an excuse for the sweet smell of crisp gingerbread and vanilla icing dancing from room to room in your home. So sit back and take a stroll down memory lane as you adventure out into a land of colorful gumdrop shingles, candy cane doors, and peppermint windows. Doesn’t this sound like the perfect holiday treat for you and your loved ones? Well, you’re in luck because Carrie Theis, owner and general manager of Hofsas House Hotel in Carmel, CA, is an expert on holiday spirit and designing the perfect gingerbread house!

For five years, Hofsas House Hotel has held their Gingerbread Decorating Charity Event for the Carmel Public Library. All of the donations from the festivities go to the Carmel Library Foundation, which raises funds to provide free library services for the Carmel Public Library. With donations ranging from $5 to $10 and to even $25, they provide hot crisp cider, homemade baked cookies, a gingerbread house making kit with all the fixings, as well as wine and cheese for the adults. Don’t worry, it’s not too late to join them for this year’s Gingerbread Decorating Charity Event which is on Saturday, December 3rd, 2016. Check out some of Carrie’s helpful holiday tips below.

Holiday Tips to A Stress-Free Gingerbread House:

Tip 1: Carrie’s big secret to the perfect gingerbread house is plain and simple: get a gingerbread house kit. Yes, you heard it right. If you really think about it, a holiday event like this isn’t supposed to be about stressing over how your walls are falling or if your roof is burnt. It’s supposed to be stress-free, creative, and of course, lots and lots of fun! Carrie feels the “fun is in the decorating, not the building”, so go to your nearest food store and pick yourself up a gingerbread house kit and let the fun begin.
Tip 2: More sweets are always a great idea during the holiday season, so make sure you have plenty to get those creative juices going. Even though the gingerbread kits come with sweets and goodies, Carrie personally supplies MORE to allow everyone to get as creative as possible. She enjoys using treats like pretzels, shredded coconut, fruit loops, and even Frosted Mini-Wheats. See how festive that roof looks above!
Tip 3: To get creative, you have to feed your mind. Literally feeding your mind and having munchies around is a great idea. It’s always good to encourage everyone, even yourself, with a treat. Any delicacy would do the trick like a homemade cookie, a cup of hot cocoa, or even a mimosa.