Before we get started with the holiday story that I’m sharing today I want to remind you that you aren’t required to be ‘happy’ during the holidays. You can be content without being all giggly and filled with holiday cheer.
The reality is that some years are easy, other years are more difficult. It’s our perspective and circumstances cycle and change. Just remember there is a difference between happiness and joy and even though we often focus on happiness as a ‘goal,’ maybe we can shift to focus towards acceptance and contentment from which joy comes not apathy. We don’t need to pretend that we’re happy when we’re struggling.
You don’t need to be happy on the holidays if you’re not. If you are struggling you can also ask for help.
If you’re feeling joyful and happy, you plan some random acts of kindness for your friends and strangers too.
Where ever we’re at, can we be where we are in the moment right now as it is?
If you want to be amused without forced happiness read this story. It’s one version of a ‘pancake’ tale from the late 1800s. I hope you enjoy it.
Not every story has a happy ending, but every story is one that we create and potentially learn from…or not.
The Tale of the Gingerbread Man
Listen to the narration
The Mindful Soul Center · The Gingerbread Boy, A Pancake Tale From May 1875
Read the story
Once upon a time, there was a little old woman and a little old man who lived all alone in a little old house.
One day the little old woman was very lonely and she sighed so loud that the little old man looked up and said:
“What is the matter? Why do you sigh?”
“Oh,” said the little old woman, “I am so very lonely. I wish we had a little boy in the house to keep us company.”
“Borrow one,” said the little old man. “No,” said the little old woman, ” I do not want a borrowed child. I want one of my own.”
“I’ll tell you what to do,” said the little old man, “make a gingerbread boy and you can keep him with you always.”
“That’s a fine idea,” said the little old woman.
So she got out her breadboard and her rolling pin and began work. She mixed her dough very carefully, then she shaped the gingerbread man. She gave him a pretty red hat of peppermint candy, a little chocolate jacket, and fine licorice shoes. He had raisins for eyes and small black currants for buttons on his coat.
Then the little old woman put the gingerbread man into the oven to bake, saying,
“Bake, bake, as fast as you can, for you are to be my gingerbread man! “
When she felt sure that the gingerbread man was done, she opened the oven door, and what do you think? Why the little gingerbread man jumped right out of the pan and ran away.
Of course, the little old woman and the little old man ran after him, but he called back over his shoulder :
“Run run, as fast as you can, you can’t catch me, I’m the gingerbread man!”
As the little old woman and the little old man could not run as fast as the gingerbread man, they soon turned back.
Now when the gingerbread man had gone on a little way, he met a horse. The horse smelled the gingerbread man and then ran after him as fast as he could. The little gingerbread man ran on, calling out over his shoulder :
“Run run, as fast as you can, you can’t catch me, I’m the gingerbread man!”
And when the horse had grown tired and
had stopped, the gingerbread man called :
“I’ve run away from a little old woman and a little old man, and I can run away from you, I can! “
Farther down the road he met a cow. The cow had not been able to find much grass, so she was hungry. When she saw the gingerbread man, she ran after him as fast as she could. But the gingerbread man was not afraid. He called back gayly –
“Run run, as fast as you can, you can’t catch me, I’m the gingerbread man!”
Soon the cow grew tired of the chase. Then the gingerbread man laughed and shouted :
“Run run, as fast as you can, you can’t catch me, I’m the gingerbread man!”
“I’ve run away from a little old woman, a little old man and a horse, and I can run away from you, I can.”
He then passed by a large field of grain where a great many mowers were busy at work. The mowers had not been to their dinner, so they were hungry. When they saw the gingerbread man they dropped their mowers and ran after him. But the gingerbread man knew they could not catch him, so he called back :
“Run run, as fast as you can, you can’t catch me, I’m the gingerbread man!”
It did not take the mowers long to weary of the chase. Then the gingerbread man waved to them and said :
“I’ve run away from a little old woman, a little old man, a horse and a cow, and I can run away from you, I can! “
Soon he came to a large barn. Inside, there was such a queer noise.
“I must find out what makes that noise,” said the gingerbread man.
So he peeped through the door and saw a great many men threshing wheat.
Now the threshers also have seen the gingerbread man, and they ran rapidly after him.
But the gingerbread man had confidence in his little licorice shoes, so he called :
“Run run, as fast as you can, you can’t catch me, I’m the gingerbread man!”
Soon the men gave up the race and went back to their work. Then the gingerbread man took time to stand up on a large rock and shout :
“I’ve run away from a little old woman, a little old man, a horse, and a cow and a field full of mowers, and I can run away from you, I can! “
Now, as the little gingerbread man stepped down from the rock, he noticed that one of his little licorice shoes was worn out at the toe. He was so distressed over this that he did not notice that the old fox was approaching him. It gave him quite a surprise when someone close to his elbow said, ” Good morning! ‘
“I thought I’d stop to see how you intend to get across the river,” said the fox.
“Sure enough, there is a river,” said the gingerbread man. ” I can’t swim, for if I get wet it will be all up with me. I’ll crumble all to pieces.”
“Suppose you get on my back and I’ll take you across,” suggested the fox.
So the gingerbread man jumped on the fox’s back and they started off. When they had gone only a little way, the fox said :
“It’s getting deeper and deeper. Jump on my neck.”
Things went very well for a while, then the fox said :
“It’s getting deeper and deeper. Jump on my head.”
After a while the gingerbread man heard the fox say :
“It’s getting deeper and deeper. Jump on my nose.”
Then the fox gave a snap and the gingerbread man said :
” Oh, I’m a quarter gone.”
After another snap, the gingerbread man said :
“Oh, I’m half gone.”
Then another snap, and he said: ” I’m three-quarters gone.”
And when the fox gave another snap, the gingerbread man did not say a thing, for he was all gone.
The End
“The Gingerbread Boy” first appeared in print in the May, 1875, issue of St. Nicholas Magazine
Listen to Parcast’s Tales Version Below
If you like this story share it. If you want to hear another Christmas spoken word poem, click here.
If you feel like negativity is taking over your life read this or this.
Originally posted on the 19th of December 2019, this post was updated on December 1st 2022.