Growing up, I always envied the kids who built gingerbread houses at home. My family and I rarely baked together in Brooklyn: Like many Asian diaspora families, we stored pots and pans (and our rice cooker!) in the oven.

When I became a mom, I made sure my son got to experience some holiday magic as defined by American culture. We started with store-bought kits from Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s. But after seeing the incredible from-scratch gingerbread houses made by members of Subtle Asian Baking — the online community I founded in 2020 — I set out to perfect the ultimate recipe for a gingerbread house, one even first-time bakers can master at home.

What I discovered was that the process was harder than I expected — a true labor of love — but it’s worth every minute and so satisfying to complete. Even with lopsided walls and melty gummies, each house tells a story and holds precious memories. For me, finally building a gingerbread house from scratch created a new tradition for my son and me, as we both found a sense of belonging together as third-culture kids in America. Like our home, the sweetest gingerbread houses are the ones we build side by side. — Kat Lieu