Gingerbread House Day ~ A Fun Holiday

Gingerbread House - Source: Wikimedia

December 12th is known as Gingerbread House Day. This unofficial holiday has no known source, but has become a fun day to celebrate.

National Gingerbread House Day is a day set aside for creating a gingerbread house.  Parents and children can have a family activity making a gingerbread house. Or you could bake a large gingerbread house and have a party where the invited guests help to decorate it with icing and candies. The best part is this 'sweet treat' can then be eaten.

Hansel & Gretel

Remember the Grimm Fairy Tale "Hansel & Gretel"? It was published by the Brothers Grimm in Germany in 1812.  The house in the story is a cottage built of bread and cakes, with windowpanes of sugar.  The old lady the children meet is really a 'witch' who built her house of dainties to lure children to her so she could cook and eat them.  That sweet house in the story became the basis of the Gingerbread House popular today. 

What is Gingerbread?

Source: Pixabay

Gingerbread originally meant 'preserved ginger', but today it refers to a confection made up of honey or molasses flavored with ginger and other spices. 

There are other favorite gingerbread desserts in the form of cakes and cookies and the fun gingerbread man.  

 

Gingerbread Holidays

Gingerbread has become such a popular taste treat that it has generated special days throughout the year.  

• June 5 is now known as National Gingerbread Day, a day created to bring attention to the gingerbread.
• November 21st is National Gingerbread Cookie Day.  There are ginger snaps and regular gingerbread cookies which can be cut into shapes like Christmas cookies with cookie cutters, including the cutest of all, the gingerbread man or gingerbread boy cookie. 
• And the holiday we are now celebrating on December 12  - National Gingerbread House Day.

Gingerbread House Christmas Tree Ornament

This Gingerbread House Christmas Tree Ornament is handmade by the Etsy Shop Ornament Are Forever and can be personalized. 

Playtime Gingerbread House

If you don't have the time to bake a gingerbread house yourself, your children can enjoy building their own gingerbread house out of Legos with this fun set. 

This Lego 40139 Gingerbread House is a mini set, perfect for small children to build to add to the family's Christmas decor. 

There are also larger Lego gingerbread houses available on Amazon.

Gingerbread House Festivals

Gingerbread House Festival

Gingerbread Houses have generated Gingerbread House Festivals around the country during the Christmas holidays.  I attended one such charming festival in Savannah, Georgia.

Happy Gingerbread House Day

So, enjoy your gingerbread in any form, especially as a gingerbread house on National Gingerbread House Day! 


(c) 12/3/2016 - Wednesday Elf. 

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