The History of Two Christmas Homes
When I think about real estate during the holidays, two homes come to mind: Santa Claus’ home at the North Pole and, of course, Gingerbread Houses.
Most children know about the joys that can be found at the North Pole and about Gingerbread homes. But very few know the history of these two bits of Christmas real estate. So, whether you have young children, or are a child at heart yourself, here is the history of both, for a little light Christmas reading.
The North Pole
The North Pole, surprisingly, hasn’t always been a part of the story of Santa Claus. It wasn’t until after his story traveled to the US and became popularized (in the early 1800s) that the story of the North Pole came about. Santa’s modern image, with the red suite, jolly belly, and trademark hat, was developed by cartoonist Thomas Nast, for Harper’s Weekly in 1863. It is thought that Nast also began the tale of the North Pole.
The idea that Santa has a workshop and helpers is not new, but in one of the Harper’s Weekly editions from around the same time, there is the first mention of this workshop being at the North Pole, at the very top of the Earth. This area is part of Canada, and can be found in the zip code H0H 0H0.
The idea of Santa living at the North Pole is not shared world wide. Most countries have a home for Santa within their own borders.
The Gingerbread House
Ginger was first brought to Europe by explorers after the First Crusade. This spice was new, exciting, and very costly. It was used in only the finest homes and by the church on special holy days. As the ease of travel grew, ginger became more readily available, and that was when ginger cakes (a prequel to gingerbread) became very popular.
Ginger cakes were originally made with honey, ginger and breadcrumbs. This mixture would be rolled out, and then a carved rolling board would be used to cut out engraved shapes. It wasn’t until many years later that flour, sugar and molasses became the main ingredients.
It wasn’t until the Brothers Grimm published their story “Hansel and Gretel” that anyone thought of making homes out of gingerbread. As the popularity of the story grew, so did making gingerbread homes. However, it wasn’t until the 19th century, when Christmas became a largely commercial holiday, that Gingerbread Homes (as well as gingerbread men) became a part of the yearly holiday celebration.