Gingerbread cookies are a fun family activity during the holiday season. All you need to get started are some gingerbread people cookie cutters and your imagination.

You can make your own frosting. I like to buy different colored frosting in tubes that come with the different tips ready to attach and frost. It's a lot less work and mess, and you can use them over and over again.

Use a variety of candies to decorate, like raisins, s, gum drops, etc. As you can see from the picture, mine are nothing fancy, but still cute and fun to make.

Gingerbread Cookie Recipe:

1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. shortening
1 egg
1/2 c. light molasses
2 1/4 c. flour
4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. all spice

Cream sugar and shortening. Add egg and molasses; blend. Mix in dry ingredients. Chill dough for 1 hour. Roll out dough to 1/8 in. thickness. Cut into desired shapes. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 9 minutes.

Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom who is the author of What's for Dinner?, an e-cookbook containing more than 250 quick easy dinner ideas. For recipes, tips to organize your home, home decorating, crafts, holiday hints and more, visit Creative Homemaking at http://www.creativehomemaking.com.