How to Decorate a Nightmare Before Christmas Gingerbread House

Halloween and Christmas are not usually associated with each other, but in the movie "The Nightmare Before Christmas," these two holidays are blended seamlessly into one story. To celebrate both holidays and the movie, you can turn a gingerbread house into a "The Nightmare Before Christmas" theme.

Things You'll Need

• Gingerbread house kit Black frosting White frosting Black food coloring Nightmare Before Christmas figurines Nonpareils Candy canes Gum drops Curved cookies Black licorice Candy corn Christmas and Halloween candy

Instructions

1. Put together a normal gingerbread house. The easiest way to do this is with a store-bought kit. Use frosting to apply every section of the house, but keep it as plain as possible so you can decorate with the Nightmare Before Christmas.

2. Use black frosting or black food coloring to create black frosting. Decorate the roof of the house with the black frosting to keep with the dark themes of the house.

3. Mix a small dose of black frosting with white frosting until it is a light gray. Break apart curved cookies in half to create small tombstones and coat them with the grey frosting.

4. Layer an area of frosting around the house and place the tombstones around this area. Use black frosting to apply letters to the tombstones like "Jack," "RIP" or other characters from the movie.

5. Apply a thick layer of frosting to the edges of the gingerbread house. Use an alternating pattern to mix candy corn with a Christmas-themed candy like peppermint to showcase the Halloween and Christmas theme. Other candy that you can mix include nonpareils, green and red M&Ms, Reese's Pieces or small candy canes.

6. Use white frosting to create a skull outline on the side of the house. Use two gumdrops for the eyes, black licorice for the mouth and two candy canes as crossed bones. Use enough frosting so that all of the layers stick together.

7. Use red liquid candy to drape fake blood from the roof of the house. This will help add the gloomy look of Halloween and represent Christmas colors as well.

8. Purchase miniature Nightmare Before Christmas figurines. Place the different figures around the house with Jack Skellington as the main focus, Santa on the roof, and the Oogy Boogie man in the graveyard or hiding toward the back.

9. Finish the house with a mixture of Halloween and Christmas themes like bats, snowmen, witches and elves. The character figurines will really bring out the movie, and the rest will help tie into the theme.

Tips & Warnings

• If you do not have black frosting or food coloring, create your own by equally mixing other food coloring.

Resources

• Building a Gingerbread House
• Nightmare Before Christmas Merchandise
• How to Make Black Food Coloring