Icing ideas for a 70th birthday gingerbread cake?

[cleanairplease]

It's for MIL, she's an awful snob but I'm quite fond of her now. Birthday is next sat but I have to ice the cake tonight / tomorrow. Gingrbread cake is already made.

I had thought of a simple white lemon icing (icing sugar+ lemon & water) and I've got some leaf shapes and green rollout icing stuff. I was going to do a band of leaves a 'happy birthday' and some silver candles + silver ribbon round the side.

But I'm now wondering if it's too Christmassy and I forgot to buy the letter cutter-outers.

Any suggestions?

If she's a snob, I'd keep it as plain as possible. She's certainly a lucky lady having a delicious cake made for her. The lemon icing I do for gingerbread is butter, lemon zest, lemon juice and icing sugar, and I've also done lime before too which goes very well.

I think I would keep it plain, maybe just some strips of candied lemon or lime zest, or a few tiny cubes of candied stem ginger in the middle of the cake, with your silver candles would look lovely.