On Tuesdays, I post a picture and just a few words.
So said Zoe when I brought home a gingerbread house kit, purchased on clearance at Aldi.
She’s right. I’m not sure we’ve ever bought one of these in December since I can only be convinced to pay for rock-hard gingerbread when its marked down to just a few dollars after the holidays.
I know homemade gingerbread would be way more delicious. But the odds of me making the time to do from-scratch gingerbread houses are very low, so after-Christmas clearance kits it is around here.
And like Zoe says, it’s kind of a tradition now anyway. It would feel sort of wrong to do this in December. 😉
(By the way, do you notice the muted colors on the candies? Aldi has phased out artificial colors on all of their private label products, which is pretty cool. I mean, not that candy is ever exceedingly healthful, but I’m always up for taking artificial stuff out of food.)
Meredith
Tuesday 12th of January 2016
We usually do this after the holidays too. However this year, I found a foam craft gingerbread house in the target clearance for 45 cents I think. It's my only Christmas decoration out. Not ready to put it up either.
jennifer
Tuesday 12th of January 2016
Love it! We always save ours til next year though.
JD
Tuesday 12th of January 2016
We don't have an Aldi's anywhere around us. Boo! I grew up in a fairly large extended family, which would arrive back at the old home place a family or two at a time for Christmas. I grew up with celebrating Christmas Day, the next day, the following night, and the next day or so, as more family arrived. We opened presents for nearly a week, sometimes. Doing Christmas-type things after Christmas Day feels normal to me, and I think it's a great tradition to develop, doing gingerbread houses in January. Let's face it, January and February can be a bit bleak. They need some festivity.
Jennifer
Tuesday 12th of January 2016
I always buy my kids Valentine's Day treats from the after Christmas markdowns and the Easter treats I buy from the Valentine's day markdowns. This year I found chocolate covered cordial cherriesand huge Hershey's kisses. The cordial cherries don't expire until 12-15-16 so they really last awhile. They actually sell the exact same huge Hershey's kiss for Valentines' Day but it's regular price again. I don't mind the kids having sweet treats but I don't always buy sweet treats for special occasions. I also found some very nice PEZ dispensers of the Charlie Brown characters in the Christmas markdowns. Last year I found huge stuffed animals in the Christmas markdowns that I just tied a pink Valentines' Day themed bow around them. By the way, the Easter bunny keeps bringing back the same old basket he just fills it with new items. They have never noticed! I also just purchased Christmas wrapping paper for $.29 a roll to put up for next year. I know wrapping paper is such a waste but I just can't give it up yet so I least try to pay as little as I can for it.
Tina
Tuesday 12th of January 2016
We always do ours Dec. 31st or Jan. 1st, its a fun low-key activity post holidays. Though our Aldi has been selling out of them before Christmas so I've learned to just grab it when I see it...I do buy supplemental candy on the post-Christmas Clearance.