If you build it, they will munch

Traditions celebrated during the Christmas season are many and jolly. One such tradition involves ginger, flour, and a mass of confectionery, all baked into a homey display—the Gingerbread House!

With Christmas less than two weeks away, December 12 marks National Gingerbread House Day as a day to be observed along with the rest of the holiday festivities. Making gingerbread houses is a long standing tradition for many families during this merry holiday, but where exactly did gingerbread come from? And how have these houses become famously known as frosty house-like treats?

Well, gingerbread wasn’t always associated with Christmas or houses. It dates back to ancient times in Greece and Egypt where an early form of gingerbread was used for ceremonial purposes. According to pbs.org, “the first known recipe for gingerbread came from Greece,” and following a few centuries into Medieval England, “the term gingerbread simply meant preserved ginger and wasn’t applied to the desserts we are familiar with until the 15th century.”

It was in Germany that the ceremonious use of gingerbread was developed into an art form with their lebkuchen cakes and cookies. It isn’t exactly clear how the pastry was transformed into mini architectural pieces though, but the gingerbread house’s existence was highly popularized thanks to the Brothers Grimm and their tale of Hansel and Gretel.

Published in 1812, Hansel and Gretel features two siblings who stumble upon an evil witch living in a house made of gingerbread. Seeing as how the witch attempts to trick Hansel and Gretel into her house to eat them only to be cooked herself, it’s quite ironic how such a dark tale finds itself tied to a family-friendly tradition. Nevertheless, gingerbread houses have made themselves a part of Christmas celebrations today as German immigrants carried them over to colonial America. Smithsonianmag.com suggests that “somewhere along the way, possibly because of historical connections between gingerbread and religious ceremonies or guilds, gingerbread—and gingerbread houses—had become associated with Christmas.”

Gingerbread houses can be quite an elaborate treat, so it’s fun to spend this day rounding up the family to bake, cut, and build up some sweet houses. Get creative with your recipe and have fun decorating your crusty creations.

And although they’re trademarked for their namesake dough, you can get away without having to use actual gingerbread for your sugary house; a home with graham crackers for walls is still a home after all.

You can complete your set with little gingerbread men, get intricate with the designs, or just drop a handful of sweets on the frosted rooftop, it’s up to you how you want to spice up this fun holiday tradition.