Gingerbread houses are a treasured Christmas tradition, dating back to the early 1800s in Germany after the fairy tale, “Hansel and Gretel” was published by the Brothers Grimm. The original tale included the line, “When they came nearer they saw that the house was built of bread, and roofed with cakes, and the window was made of transparent sugar.”
It’s easy to imagine how magical that sight would be to children. It would be almost impossible not to reach out to discretely grab a corner of the roof to taste or pluck a gumdrop from the door.
Gingerbread Houses can be lots of fun to make. An online search reveals easy-to-follow video instructions
Getting together with friends for a group gingerbread house construction project can become a holiday tradition. Everyone brings their own dough, royal icing, and candy for decorating. A basic homemade gingerbread house starts with patterns for four walls and a peaked roof. Printable gingerbread house templates are available online.
After the gingerbread is baked, cooled and cut to order, royal icing is the edible “glue” that olds it together. Royal icing is made from softly beaten egg whites and powdered sugar. The usual proportions are 2 egg whites to 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, 1 teaspoon glycerin (to prevent the icing from setting too hard) and about a pound of powdered sugar, according to
hhttps://www.confectionperfection.co.uk/
Lots of different candies are used to decorate the houses, including peppermint sticks, licorice, and gumdrops.
Children especially like to be involved. A Plan for the Gingerbread House: A STEM Engineering Story, is a book for ages 4 through 12. The plot revolves around a Gingerbread man and woman who need a new house. A team of kids struggle to create the perfect gingerbread house for them. Darcy Pattison is the author, and John Joven, the illustrator.
As for the original inspiration for gingerbread houses, “Hansel and Gretel” books are available in versions for all ages.
Anyone who is in the vicinity of Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville, N.C., through Jan. 2, 2023, can view the entries in the National Gingerbread House Competition. Whimsical and elaborate, these handmade gingerbread houses come in a variety of sizes, shapes, complexity and theme. There are rustic cabins, gumdrop-adorned castles and sugar spun landscapes. The entrants compete for more than $40,000 in prizes. Here’s the link about the winners of the 2022 competition.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/omni-grove-park-inn-announces-170800591.html?fr=yhssrp_catchall
Marilyn Ostermiller is a longtime journalist who especially enjoys writing for children.
Darlene Beck-Jacobson 
That’s fun! I’m sorry to say that I cheat when I construct gingerbread houses. Due to time constraints (and making 8 of the mini houses from kits) I use my hot glue gun to stick them together. 🙂 After that, it’s all icing and candy. That shortcut helps us to enjoy our annual gingerbread decorating tradition with the grands.
That’s really a clever idea Angie. No one ever eats the things anyway! My daughter and I have been doing it for a few years now…may break out the glue gun this year!
It works! And they eat all the candy they want anyway as they construct. One of my grands picks off the candy asap…trashes the house. LOL. I also glue them down on those round cardboard cake plates so they have a built in yard and can easily carry them home. I discovered that last year. Before, I cut out cardboard and covered it with foil. Not anymore. 🙂 I always bake gingerbread cookies to decorate and eat at our Christmas party, so they still get to eat gingerbread. Yes! One of my favorites.
Angie, Thanks for sharing your helpful tip. It’s always good to consider practical options.