Nibble, nibble, like a mouse...

Today's Wonder of the World is...Gingerbread Houses!

Gingerbread house by Sam
This season always makes me long for the smell of just baked gingerbread in my kitchen.
So I light a gingerbread candle and open up the gingerbread house kits I bought at the craft store! Woo hoo!

Do you know where gingerbread came from?
Gingerbread became popular after the crusades, when ginger was brought to Europe. People went crazy for the taste, and soon gingerbread fairs started popping up in Germany and spread all over Europe. In France they call gingerbread pain d'epices.

Flickr photo by daveleb
No, that's not nature bread. Nature means plain in French.
Even plain and unfrosted, it's oh so good!

But what about gingerbread houses?
Do you know who had the very first edible house?

It's the witch in Hansel and Gretel--the one who said, "Nibble, nibble on my house, Who is nibbling at my house?"

Before the Brothers Grimm made the German folk tale famous, there were no gingerbread houses. There were also no little girls with stop sign glasses who were afraid to open the oven door just in case any lurking bad guy might creep up behind her, pop her into it, and cook her to a golden brown when no one was looking.

But back to gingerbread houses...
Maybe it's my sweet tooth talking, but I think a lot of German houses look like gingerbread houses.

Dusted with powdered sugar snow!
And pagodas look like gingerbread too, apparently!

Flickr photo by tamyleino
A gingerbread pagoda! Tamyleino took that photo at the Grove Park Inn National Gingerbread House Competition Festival over the North Carolina border from us in Asheville. We went one year to see it and were all completely awestruck. And hungry!

You want some food for the soul? How about a gingerbread church?

Flickr photo by abra cat
Or maybe you're just in the mood for a gingerbread mansion.

Flickr photo by supersugarsnaps
So pretty!

Speaking of pretty, look at the fine threesome of gingerbread house decorators in my kitchen!

It's a family tradition at the Ramsey household. After school lets out, we put on the Christmas music and let the frosting fly! And yes, sometimes that really does happen!
And when it does, guess who's the happiest?


Tanner the Slobber Dog, of course.
Here's our finished products. It's a gingerbread neighborhood.


From our house(s) to yours, we wish you the merriest of Christmases!
I'll be taking a little blogging break until the new year, so give yourselves a hug for me. I'm so grateful for your friendship and count you amongst my dearest blessings! I hope your holiday is full of joy!
Love, Becky

PS. If you're as amazed as I am that some folks don't buy their gingerbread houses from the craft store, watch the creation of this beauty!