Holiday baking time! The kids want to help? Great time to create some memories!

How many of us remember watching and/or helping with the baking when our own Moms and Grandmas were the queens of the kitchen? Hanging around while the cupcakes were being frosted just so that we could have first dibs on licking the bowl? Mmmm. The kids can join right in on the baking.

Here are a few ways to keep things fun, but under control.

For cookie cutters try the Old-Fashioned Cookie Cutters - they are easy to hang onto. Just like Grandma's, these cutters have wooden handles attached to the top for easy handling and better pressure when cutting. These cutters also create larger cookies which are easier for kids to decorate.

Along with these cutters, try cookie icing in a squeeze bottle - less mess and you can also get green and red already colored. Just heat in microwave, knead bottle and squeeze. This creates a run-on icing that dries smooth and is easy to decorate with edible ink food pens. Before icing is dry, use stencils to sprinkle sugary holiday designs or let frosting dry and use color mist for the same effect.

These handy ready-to-go products save time and mess.

To save baking time, there are decorating kits with premade gingerbread people or a star Christmas tree. The kits come with icing mix, icing decorations, candies and instructions. Just put it together. Also purchase a gingerbread house kit that works the same way. These prebaked or preassembled kits are just the project for children whose attention spans won't last through the whole baking, decorating time. Add your own candies to these kits for more creativity. (Mini marshmallows are great for snow!) Also you may want to put your cookie tree or gingerbread house on a sturdy cake board to make it transportable to the center of the table!

Another decorating idea is the Nativity Bake Set. Your children will enjoy baking and displaying this lovely scene throughout the holiday season.

Be sure to increase the size of the batch of cookies when the children help. They will be eager to sample and to share with every other kid on the block!

However you celebrate the holiday, kids in the kitchen just add to the fun!