Gingerbread houses
A craft from our past

I remember the gingerbread house from "Hansel and Gretel," the old fairy tale. It is believed that the gingerbread house itself originated in Germany, along with other Christmas traditions, and was brought over to the U.S. by German immigrants.

Gingerbread House Basics

Basically, the house is constructed of flat pieces of gingerbread, held together with icing to make sure it truly is edible. Yes, there are kids who eat them, myself included. You can theny use gum drops and other candy pieces to make chimneys, doors, roof tiles, etc.

There are no lack of recipes on the internet, and I've included links to some of them below. Be prepared to spend several hours making the house—but hours of fun, especially if there are several people involved.

Gingerbread Housemaking on the Web

 

 

—Roxy

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