One year at the North Pole, everyone was busy getting ready for Christmas. The elves were putting the finishing touches on the toys, the reindeer were exercising to get ready for the big ride, and Mrs. Claus was busy finishing her last batch of cookies. She had just put the last batch of snickerdoodles in the oven, when she noticed she had just enough dough to make one last cookie.
"Hmm," she thought, "I could get out some ginger and brown sugar and make a fine gingerbread man." So, she mixed and stirred and stirred and mixed, then she rolled and patted and rolled and patted, then she cut and shaped and cut and shaped until she had a scrumptious gingerbread man. Then she added two black currents for eyes, red licorice for a mouth and red-hots for buttons. "Now, my little man, you are ready for the oven."
She carefully placed the cookie man on a sheet and put it in the oven to bake. Mmmmm. Soon the smells of the gingerbread man filled the kitchen. Mrs. Claus said, "My, my the gingerbread man is almost done. I must get myself a nice cup of hot chocolate, but first, I better check the oven to see how it is doing."
But the minute she opened that oven, to her surprise, out popped the gingerbread man! He put his hands on his hips and cried, "Run, run as fast as you can. You can't catch me I'm the gingerbread man!"
That little g-man, jumped right out of the oven and ran across the kitchen floor, down the hall, until he came to the living room. There sitting in a big chair was the big man himself...Santa Claus! Mr. C was catching 40 winks before his big ride that night. But, when he smelled that delicious gingerbread, he woke right up, smacked his lips and said, "Ho-ho-ho, A nice bit of gingerbread would taste mighty good with my coffee right now!"
But, the gingerbread man put his hands on his hips and cried, "I ran away from Mrs. Claus, and I can run away from you I can, I can. Run, run as fast as you can. You can't catch me I'm the gingerbread man!"
The gingerbread man ran out the front door with Santa and Mrs. Clause running behind. He ran until he passed the window of the toy shop. Inside were Jingles and Mr. Bo Jangles. The elves were putting a saddle on the hobby horse. But, when he saw that delicious piece of gingerbread, they said, "Yum, Yum...just what we need...a nice piece of gingerbread for our break."
But the gingerbread man made a face at the elf and cried out..."I ran away from Mrs. Claus and Santa too. And I can run away from you, I can, I can. Run, run as fast as you can. You can't catch me I'm the gingerbread man!"
The gingerbread man ran out to the barn where Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer was polishing his very shiny nose, but when he saw that gingerbread he said, "Gingerbread - my favorite!"
But, the gingerbread shook his finger at Rudolph and said, "I ran away from Mrs. Claus and Santa too. I ran away from Jingles the Elf and I can run away from you I can, I can...Run, run as fast as you can. You can't catch me I'm the gingerbread man!"
There went the Gingerbread running down the Main Street of the North Pole. Everyone he met wanted a taste of that tasty gingerbread man. Why there were elves and reindeer and Santa and Mrs. Claus running as fast as they could, but they couldn't catch the gingerbread man.
The g-man ran up to the top of a snowy hill. There was Frosty the Snowman. Frosty said, "Some warm gingerbread would certainly feel good on this cold, snowy day." But the gingerbread man just laughed at Frosty... I ran away from Mrs. Claus and Santa too. I ran away from Jingles the Elf and Rudolph, and I can run away from you I can, I can...Run, run as fast as you can. You can't catch me I'm the gingerbread man!"
On and on he ran - up the snowy hills and sliding down the other sides. He was fast all right. The fastest g-man north of the North Pole. Then, he saw it - a river with ice floes racing down toward the ocean. What could he do?
A polar bear had been skiing down the slopes, when he saw the gingerbread man. He wanted to gobble him down, but instead he looked at the gingerbread man and said, "Excuse me. Are you wanting to get to the other side of the river? Maybe I can help."
"Yeah, right" said the gingerbread "help your self to some tasty gingerbread!"
"Gingerbread? Oh, no, no, no. Gingerbread gives me gas, don't you know. I'll take you over to the other side safe and sound. Besides I don't think you have much of a choice in the matter."
The Gingerbread man looked back and saw a parade of hungry faces nipping at his heals. "Okay, but I'm staying on your back so I don't get wet."
"Hop on and let's go," said the polar bear.
About half way across the bear slipped deeper in the water and the g-man's toes were getting wet. "Hey, what's happening my feet are wet."
"Sorry, the river gets deep here. Hop on my head."
So, the g-man hopped on the bear's head. All too soon the water was lapping up his legs. "Hey, what's going on. I'm getting water logged!"
"Sorry, I can barely keep my head above the water. Hop on my nose."
Soooo, the G-man hopped on the bear's nose.
And then...and then...what happened next... is what happens to all good gingerbread men!
To make your own delicious gingerbread cookies, click HERE
To make you own gingerbread ornaments, click HERE
For some fun gingerbread man activities and coloring sheets, click HERE
For more gingerbread fun and theme units, click HERE
To build your own gingerbread house, click HERE
For a themed unit of activities, click HERE
For a cut and fold gingerbread chain, click HERE
Gingerbread math, click HERE
Here are some other versions of The Gingerbread Man:
