Jury · Christmas with friends · A December weekend
Host a gingerbread house contest
Icing everywhere, a roof that won’t stay on and a lot of opinions about whose house is best. Make it a proper contest: build in teams, rate in secret and reveal the winner together.
- Teams
- Two to six
- Building time
- One to two hours
- Rating
- Each house is a round
Updated
Set the rules
Split into teams.
Two or three people per team works well. Mix ages if children are joining.
Give everyone the same start.
The same kit or the same baked walls for every team, so it’s the building that counts.
Agree a time limit.
One to two hours is enough. When time is up, hands off the icing.
Pick a theme, if you like.
A house from your street, a famous building or “the house of your dreams”.
Rate the houses
Each house is a round in Jury. Take a photo of every house before you start, then everyone walks round the table and rates. Scores stay hidden until the reveal.
“Still standing?” deserves a place: a house that survives until the reveal has earned it.
Good to know
- Let the walls dry before you put on the roof. Patience wins more points than ambition.
- Put sweets and decorations in shared bowls, so no team has an advantage.
- Everyone rates every house, including their own team’s.
- Save the reveal for the end, and let the winning team pick the first piece to eat.
Questions and answers
Can children join?
Yes. Mixed teams of adults and children work well, and children are often the most honest judges.
Should we use a kit or bake from scratch?
A kit makes it fair and quick. Baking from scratch takes longer but gives more to talk about.
Can we rate the houses later?
Yes. Take a photo of each house, and everyone can rate when it suits them before the host reveals.
More from christmas with friends
Ready for the first round?
Jury is free, with no ads. Get the app, make an activity and send the link to your friends.