Gingerbread men. Child’s play.

As I scoured my list for an easy win item to cross off, a voice piped up.

“I know what I want to make.”

Whoosh! I’ll be honest. There are few sentences that catch my attention quite so quickly. Especially when uttered by one of my offspring. It’s neck to neck with the urgent injury announcements that pepper my life as a mother. Craft opportunities are more welcome, naturally. So, ears pricked, my list absent mindedly put to one side, I was ready to assist.

“I know what I want to make my sisters for Christmas.”

He’d found the book I’d been sent. The gifts in jars had caught his eye. He liked the ones suggested but he wanted to do something a little bit different. That was good. We talked it through. Aspiration reluctantly met reality. A do-able project was agreed. One vital ingredient was put on the shopping list.

In the meantime, we decided to try the book’s idea for gingerbread in a jar. Might work well as another gift idea. To be on the safe side, we’d better check the recipe worked. Plus, I’d get to spend time with one of my favourite people.

The ingredients in the jar part was easy to follow. Clear instructions. Only part we changed, was not using plastic bags to separate out some of the ingredients. Instead, we used a piping bag to package the icing and a mini jar for the decorations. I like to think it looks better, as well as cutting down on the single use plastics.

Before I knew it, my not so little baker slid the biscuits into the oven, and had skipped off, leaving me in charge of the timer.

It’s OK. No gingerbread men, bells or rocking horses were burnt on my watch. Shuffles feet. Not this time.

Once out and cooled, we made the lemon icing, as suggested, to decorate them. Except I made it a bit too runny. What can I say? I love lemon. Oh, and the piping bag hole was a bit too big. Yep, that was me too! Detail work was not going to happen.  Instead, he used it to drizzle the icing on in big swipes, which was just as fun and much more messy.

Ought to pause at this moment to say how wonderful my kitchen was smelling. Ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon and lemon. Think Christmas baking and you’ll know exactly what I mean. Heaven.

It was the perfect way to spend this afternoon. I love baking with my boy. I’m going to look forward to helping him make his presents for his sisters, which will not involve any gingerbread men. No. That would ruin the surprise. He wants to make something a little bit different.

We were sent Craft Gifts in exchange for an honest review. It is a lovely book, with clear instructions that most children should find easy to follow. I can imagine it inspiring children in the 7 to 10 age range, to create interesting gifts that they will be proud to give.

The projects may seem familiar, but it is the sort of book that a bored child will pick up and spend an hour or so, trying a project, as most of the bits and bobs needed can be found around the house. Now if that doesn’t make this a good candidate for a child’s bookshelf, I don’t know what does!