# 4818 - 2013 First-Class Forever Stamp - Contemporary Christmas: Gingerbread House with Green Roof and Blue Door

Issue Date: November 6, 2013
City: New York, NY
Quantity: 187,500,000
Printed By: Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method: Offset
Perforations: Serpentine Die Cut 11
Color: Multicolored

This stamp is part of a block of four issued for the 2013 holiday season. The gingerbread houses were constructed specifically for the stamp design. 

 

Gingerbread had been around for several centuries when the Brothers Grimm published a folktale about two youngsters hiding in a forest. The story told of a young brother and sister who escaped a wicked witch by taking shelter in a house made of cake and confectionery. The fantasy inspired German bakers to recreate the scene in gingerbread.

 

To make a gingerbread house, a stiff dough is pressed into molds or rolled out and cut into shapes. Once the dough has baked and cooled, the house can be assembled using stiff icing. Careful planning before this step is helpful because the icing hardens quickly, leaving little time to experiment. The four walls are usually glued together first, applying icing in a “bead” along the base and corners. The roof sections are then added. 

 

Decorating the house is the final step and an ideal time for youngsters to join the fun. Using royal icing and plenty of imagination, candies, cookies, shredded wheat, licorice, peppermints, and much more are transformed into shutters, door-knobs, and walkways. 

 

Whether the gingerbread house is picture-perfect or slightly off-balance, the result is sure to be a unique centerpiece that makes lasting holiday memories.