Costco Is Decking The Halls Early This Year With Gingerbread Houses

Since it's still the middle of October, it might seem silly to start gearing up for the winter holidays. However, the next six weeks between now and Black Friday — aka the unofficial start to the Christmas season — will no doubt pass in the blink of an eye. Before we know it, we'll be busy with shopping, cooking, and attending holiday parties, so maybe stocking up on baking supplies and other winter-break activities in the middle of October isn't actually such a bad idea. And besides, Costco is doing it, so why shouldn't you?

As revealed in an Instagram post from user @costcobuys on October 15, the big-box retailer is decking its halls early in 2023 with gingerbread houses — and these aren't your average cookie residences, either. This year, shoppers can pick up Create-A-Treat's Gingerbread Chateau Cookie Kit from their local Costco warehouse to decorate this holiday season.

The kits retail for $15.99 (though prices may vary by location) and come fully stocked with icing, candy, and gingerbread cookies. What makes this seasonal Costco find a real win, however, is that its base is already pre-built, so you won't have to worry about some of the biggest mistakes you can make with a gingerbread house.

Costco shoppers hardly seemed bothered that Christmas has arrived early at the retailer. In fact, in the comments of @costcobuy's post about the newly arrived kits, several Instagram users tagged friends to alert them to the unique seasonal buy. One user even told a pal to swing by their local Costco to pick one up, while others commented on how fun the activity would be for the upcoming holiday season. However, buyers should be aware that these kits might not be as easy to assemble as they seem.

As longtime Costco cardholders may recall, the chain has also offered a mansion-sized version of these Create-A-Treat gingerbread house kits in the past. Similar to the new chateaus, these gingerbread mansions also came pre-assembled — though that didn't exactly take the fuss out of the build. Last year, blogger Costcuisine said the icing provided in the kits did a poor job of securing the additional cookies and candies. To avoid any construction mishaps, those planning to spend a winter afternoon putting together the chateau kit might want to try the genius gingerbread house hack of connecting the cookie pieces with hot, melted sugar rather than icing. This will ensure everything stays in place all season long.