People look forward to the holidays because of everything they can do with family and friends. Traditions like Secret Santa, watching holiday movies, exchanging gifts, and putting up decorations give off a special feeling that makes the holidays that much more special. One of the most common holiday traditions is baking treats. Among those, gingerbread houses are a popular choice.

Gingerbread houses are usually made because they are a family tradition and a symbol of Christmas. Some also consider them as a symbol of family and home. Gingerbread houses have many variations now since they’re so popular, but a traditional one looks like… a house. A simple house decorated in icing, fondant, and several candies and sweets. It’s in the name, so there’s not much to say about its appearance.

Gingerbread houses are originally from Germany in the 16th century. It’s not clear who made the first one, and some say gingerbread houses date back to the 1600s, but they became popular and well-known after the Brothers Grimm published the Hansel and Gretel fairy tale in 1812. Specifically from the part where they were abandoned in the forest and later came upon a house made from gingerbread and sweets. The book, titled A Tale Dark and Grimm, is the darker and gorier version of the fairy tale.

Gingerbread houses don’t necessarily have to be houses. Sure, it’s in the name, but people also enjoy making other kinds of gingerbread creations, like cottages, barns, vehicles, presents, etc. Some make gingerbread villages with trees and street light decorations with houses and buildings of all sizes. They can also be made with nuts, pretzels, graham crackers, etc.

• The tallest gingerbread house was created in Texas in 2013. It was 18.28 meters (around 60 feet) long, 12.8 meters (around 42 feet) wide, and 18.28 (around 60 feet) tall.

• The record for the largest gingerbread village was broken in 2017 by New York sous-chef Jon Lovitch. His work was presented at the New York Hall of Science.

• There’s a type of architecture known as “gingerbread trim,” which is an extremely detailed style originally from North America in the 1830s and 40s.

Since I’m writing an article about gingerbread houses, I thought it would be nice to add some recipes. Please note that I’ve never tried to make any of the following recipes, so chances are I have added the recipe in simply because it looks pretty.

• https://sugarandcharm.com/gingerbread-house- Simple gingerbread house; As I said, it looks pretty.

• https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/gingerbread-house/- Looks a little more complex with the designs, but it's cool.

• https://www.thespruceeats.com/gingerbread-house-dough-recipe-1136139- This person sounds like they know what they’re doing.

Now I have no clue if these recipes are actually good or not, but they look nice. Plus, some of them have videos if that’s helpful. You obviously don’t have to try them out, they’re just here in case anyone wants to use them.