A real gingerbread house is fun for one afternoon and then it either collapses or attracts ants. A cardboard one keeps. It can stay out from December 1 to New Year’s, and it can go back in the box for next year. There are two very different kinds worth knowing about.

The giant one, for kids

The large color-your-own cardboard gingerbread house (on Amazon) is a playhouse, roughly 40 by 32 by 26 inches, printed with outlines kids fill in. Markers, crayons and paint aren’t included. It’s a project that stretches over several afternoons, and when it’s done it’s a hiding spot.

In a small apartment, measure the floor first. Twenty-six inches deep is about the depth of a coffee table. It folds flat again when the holidays are over.

The small ones, for a shelf or a village

The cardboard gingerbread house kit (on Amazon) has five small fold-up houses with scalloped roofs. Five is a nice number: one per kid at a party, or a whole row along a mantel or bookshelf. They’re cardboard, so they’re for looking at, not eating.

Icing that doesn’t crack

Most of the charm of a gingerbread house is the white piping. On cardboard, a white acrylic paint pen (on Amazon) does that job. The ARTISTRO set has two dual-tip pens, fine for window frames and broad for rooflines. Draw scallops along the roof edge, dots along the corners, and a simple door. Let each side dry before you handle the next.

Gluing on the trim

For buttons, pom-poms, felt candy or a bit of bottle brush garland, a glue gun is faster than craft glue. The Gorilla dual temp glue gun (on Amazon) has a low setting, which is the one to use near foam and felt, and a high one for wood. An adult should run the gun; kids can place the pieces.

A little light inside

Cut a small flap in the back wall and slip in a short strand of battery fairy lights (on Amazon). The windows glow at night, and the timer turns them off before bed.

For more handmade ideas, see DIY Christmas decorations and Christmas village display ideas. The cookie decorating station post is a good next project if you want the edible version too.