tales from the dark side of christmas the gingerbread threat

 

Why do we make gingerbread houses each year? Find out today in another edition of TALES FROM THE DARK SIDE OF CHRISTMAS.


The Brothers Grimm first published the story of Hansel and Gretel in 1812. As a reminder, Hansel and Gretel were poor children who went into the woods to find food, when they stumbled upon a witch’s house made entirely of gingerbread, which they started eating. The witch trapped them and force fed them, intending to fatten them up to eat.


In the end of the story, Gretel pushes the evil witch into her own oven before she could eat her brother. Curiously, it is right after this tale was published that people started making gingerbread houses as a part of their Christmas celebrations. Why do we replicate the house of a witch who liked to eat children every single year? Some may think of it as a veiled threat to children to not take something that isn’t theirs. What do you think?