Even though I'm not a Christmassy person, I do like to make gingerbread and have a go at icing. I don't have much flair, as you can see, but the biscuits taste fine anyway.

3 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch sea salt
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp allspice (or 1/2 tsp each cloves, nutmeg)
250g butter at room temperature
1 1/4 c brown sugar
1 egg
2 tbsp molasses
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger

Royal icing:
1 egg white
250 g icing sugar
1 tsp lemon juice

Sift the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix together.
In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 min. Beat in egg, molasses and fresh ginger until mixed through. Fold in dry ingredients with a metal spoon or spatula.
Shape the dough into a rough square or rectangle, cover in cling film and refrigerate until firm, about an hour, or overnight. You can also wrap dough tightly and store in freezer.
When you're ready to bake, preheat oven to 170C. Line at least 2 baking sheets with baking paper.
Roll out the chilled dough in between 2 sheets of baking paper to about 5mm thick and cut out your shapes of choice. Using a metal spatula, transfer to your baking trays about 2.5cm apart to allow for spreading. If the dough becomes too warm and soft, once rolled out between the sheets of baking paper put onto a tray and place in the freezer for a few minutes until it has firmed up enough to be able to cut out shapes.
Bake for about 12-14 min, until they become darker around the edges, rotating the trays halfway through cooking. Let cool on the trays for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the icing, beat the egg white in a bowl until frothy, slowly beat in sugar and lemon juice, then mix until shiny and thick. Fill your piping bag and away you go. Sets within 5 minutes. You can keep royal icing at room temperature for up to 2 weeks, or store in the fridge wrapped well in cling film or a plastic bag.