How to Dress Up Your Holiday Gingerbread Man

The gingerbread man has long been a staple of holiday baking traditions. In 1875, the sugary figurine was first introduced to holiday traditions through a fairytale published in St. Nicholas magazine, where he was depicted as a sought-after treat that eventually met its demise by way of a hungry fox. Throughout the years, the gingerbread man's taunting phrase about catching him has followed him from holiday table to holiday table, and he remains a hallmark of festive holiday decorations today.

How to Dress Up Your Holiday Gingerbread Man

Nowadays, the gingerbread man's story is not as damning as it once was, but he still makes a delicious treat at a tree-trimming or holiday party. While his fate remains the same as it did in 1875 (you're not going to be able to resist eating him, after all), decorating him has become one of the most important and fun parts of his tradition.

Slideshow: How to Dress Up Your Gingerbread Man Slideshow

This year, we’re showing you how to dapper-up your gingerbread man for the holiday. From icing and toppings to themes and design, we’ve come up with some of our favorite ways to decorate a gingerbread man. For the married couple, a gingerbread man would not be complete without his woman, and for the heat-seekers, cinnamon candies make a spicy and colorful way to button up his shirt. We cover these decorations and more for your gingerbread man so that when you finally catch him, he’ll look and taste good.  

Anne Dolce is the Cook Editor at The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @anniecdolce 

25 of Our Favorite Go-To Summer Recipes

Latte Art Goes 3-D

Hey, GoogaMooga: Don’t Give Up!