A Christmas staple since the Medieval period Ginger and later Gingerbread was used as a preventative against the plague. A Common belief during the medieval period was that eating strong spices provided a heat source for the body. Spanish Physician and claimed alchemist Arnau de Villanova, recommended spices such as ginger, clove, cinnamon, and pepper, spices he calls “proper for winter”, in order to maintain a balance of the four humors, (blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm).

One way to utilize these winter spices was to mix ginger, stalebread, almonds, and rosewater into a paste and press into wooden molds. The resulting shapes of birds and flowers were known as ‘fairings. Shapes were also used as love tokens; with wise women using folk magic gingerbread figures, to assist young women in magically finding their future husbands.

The shape of the gingerbread man known today dates from the 16th Century, and was introduced by Elizabeth Ist, who employed a royal gingerbread maker, to make effigies of visiting dignitaries and court members in gingerbread form. These Ginger 'Dead' Men ornaments absorb all this history into a decoration perfect for any gothic or creepmas tree.