• by Les Luchter , December 6, 2021

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Looking for an atypical gingerbread house this holiday season?

You can get a gingerbread dive bar from Miller High Life, a gingerbread mansion from Costco, and a gingerbread city townhouse or tropical cabana from Lowe’s.

Need extra furnishings? How about templates for gingerbread bookcases, armchairs, tables and other furniture from Ikea?

Miller High Life’s gingerbread dive bar kits, available for $50 from Miller’s online store starting Dec. 6, come with Vermont maple syrup that can be poured over the bar’s floor for an authentic sticky experience. The kits also include vintage High Life wall art and faux neon signs made from sugar, peppermint barstools, a jukebox, pool table with pretzel stick cues and candied pool balls, a bartender and bar patrons.

Lowe’s, also starting today, is giving away 100 gingerbread kits at participating stores on a first-come, first-serve basis to consumers registering online. In addition to the townhouse and cabana, there are also “traditional house” and “mid-century modern masterpiece” versions.  For those who don’t snag a freebie, the retailer is also offering free downloadable templates for all its houses.

Then, on Dec. 18, Lowe's will team up with CAMP, which runs stores and play experiences in nine locations nationwide, for a virtual "The Great Holiday House Showcase," where consumers can “build their houses with Lowe's alongside three holiday hosts going head-to-head to decorate their own, inspired by different holidays and styles of homes.”

Costco’s pre-built gingerbread mansion kit, from Create a Treat, costs $11.99 and comes with four cookies and more than a pound of candy and icings.

Ikea’s gingerbread templates are free for download from the retailer’s Australian operation. In addition to the bookcases, armchairs and tables, consumers can also make gingerbread rugs and beds.

While NBC’s “Today” recently listed Oreo’s non-gingerbread Chocolate Cookie House Kit as one of its 12 favorite gingerbread house kits, it should be pointed out to do-it-yourselfers that, for the second straight year, the Mondelez brand has released limited-edition gingerbread sandwich cookies in retail outlets.

And what better way to wash down gingerbread cookies than with gingerbread soda? Yep, PepsiCo’s Mountain Dew now has a limited-edition Gingerbread Snap’d flavor available at retail.

For those dining out, Outback Steakhouse has relaunched its Gingerbread Cookie Martini after a two-year absence. Made with Absolut vodka, Bailey’s Irish Cream and Kahlúa, it serves three people, comes with three gingerbread cookies, and costs $19.  In some Outbacks, it can also be ordered to go in a mason jar covered with a holiday sweater.

Food data company Tastewise says that gingerbread consumption is growing at 59.7% annually, but the vast majority of use occurs -- guess when? During the holiday season, of course.