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When is National Gingerbread House Day?

December 12th is National Gingerbread House Day.

What is National Gingerbread House Day?

Winter is rolling up its sleeves. The temperatures are dropping, and you’re looking for a way to warm up, body and soul. Well, look no further than National Gingerbread House Day, a surefire way to heat up the kitchen, fill the air with fragrant spices, and spread some holiday cheer.

Gingerbread has ancient origins. 11th-century Crusaders probably brought spiced breads back to Europe from the Middle East, but the Armenian monk Gregory of Nicopolis may have brought ginger-spiced bread to France as early as the 10th century.

The Brothers Grimm fairy tale “Hansel and Gretel” probably inspired the first gingerbread houses. The story tells of two abandoned children who attempt to follow a trail of crumbs home through the woods, get lost, and end up at a witch’s Gingerbread house, barely escaping with their lives.

Gingerbread houses have since transformed from bloodthirsty witches’ haunts into fun holiday activities for the whole family.

Fun facts about National Gingerbread House Day!

  • The ginger plant is native to India and China.
  • Gingerbread can take forms ranging from soft loaves to the hard biscuits we use for gingerbread houses.
  • Shakespear mentioned gingerbread in his play Love’s Labors Lost: “An I had but one penny in the world, thou shouldst have it to buy ginger-bread…”
  • Legend has it that King Hans of Sweden received a prescription from a doctor to eat gingerbreads as a cure for depression.

How to celebrate National Gingerbread House Day:

  • Build a gingerbread house! Make it a family event. Be sure to use lots of icing and gumdrops. For bonus points, create a gingerbread witch to inhabit this tasty abode.
  • Don’t follow trails of cookie crumbs into the woods.

What’s the hashtag for National Gingerbread House Day?

Show off your gingerbread architecture on social media with #GingerbreadHouseDay.