There must have been a bit of magic in the air the day George the Gingerbread Man was made.

And some of it must have sprinkled on him. Because once his little cookie body had cooled from the oven and been decorated with chocolate buttons he opened his eyes to see a whole tray of gingerbread men.

George was excited to have so many friends just like him and he called out; “HI”.
There was no answer.

The other gingerbread men just lay there on the tray with their little icing sugar smiles.

George touched the one closest to him, but it didn’t move.

He sat up and looked around. He saw a bright yellow light streaming through a door and window and decided to head towards that in search of friends.

George carefully climbed off the kitchen counter. It was quite a tricky task with no toes and fingers to help. The magic seemed to be keeping him safe.

When he reached the floor George walked towards that beautiful sunny light.

THE GARDEN SEARCH

He had to go through an outside doorway to get near the light – luckily the screen door was open just a crack and George slipped through.

Ah, all the beautiful colours and smells George was experiencing. He could smell the freshness of the breeze and the sweetness of flowers.

Everywhere he looked, George could see a riot of colours from the pretty flowers in the garden.

George felt sorry for the other gingerbread men for missing out on this wonderful adventure. He would just have to enjoy it enough for all of them.

He looked up at the beautiful sun, but could not keep looking as it was so bright.
George could feel its warmth and decided to sit on a chair and enjoy its rays.
He couldn’t do this for long, though, as his chocolate buttons started to melt.

SEARCHING FOR FRIENDS

George decided to go in search of friends.
He was attracted to some bright red flowers in the garden and climbed the stone steps towards them, wriggling as the occasional ant walked on his body, tickling him.

When he reached the red flowers George said: “Will you be my friend?” The flowers said nothing.

So George moved onto some beautiful leafy green plants and said; “Will you be my friend?”. They did not reply.

He noticed some birds hiding in the bushes and decided to see if they would be his new friends. It was a long walk and a bit of a climb to get to them, but George was determined.

When he reached the birds George said; “Will you be my friend?”. They had nothing to say to him.

George sat by the little pond for a while, hoping to meet its resident frog, but no one came to greet him.

Then George decided to climb a tree to get a better view of the garden in search of friends.

He rested on the tree branch and watched all the activity going on in the garden. Little birds were chirping and flying around, butterflies were flittering, flies and bees were buzzing.

A gentle breeze had little leaves swaying and flowers fluttering.

A colourful spider was climbing a wall and a group of ants walked in a perfect row towards their hidden home.

A lizard basked in the hot sun on a nearby step.

George was so happy to be alive in such a wonderful and beautiful world, even if he couldn’t find a friend.

The sun was getting hotter and George could feel his icing and chocolate buttons melting so he climbed down from the tree and made the long walk back to the doorway, keeping in the shade whenever possible.

A MAGICAL DAY

Just outside the door, George met a furry dog. He said; “Will you be my friend?”. But the dog didn’t reply, she just picked George up by one leg, enjoying the possibility of a sweet treat.

Luckily someone inside the house called out the dog’s name and she let go of George and wandered inside. It really was a magical kind of day.

George noticed a big fish tank inside the house and climbed up to it to see if the fish would be his friends. He said; “Will you be my friend?”, but the fish just kept swimming.

George decided he would just have to be his own friend if he couldn’t find a new friend.

FINDING A FRIEND

He saw a toy fire truck laying on the floor and decided to pretend he was a fireman, saving people’s lives and homes.

Next, George found a toy truck and played at being a truck driver and visiting towns all over the countryside.

George spotted a dollhouse with a little bed that was the perfect spot for him to rest.
As he lay on the bed and thought about his adventures George realised he was very happy and that he had found a friend, maybe the best friend ever.

Himself.

I hope you enjoyed the story of George the Gingerbread man and his quest for friends. You can read about his meeting with Santa here.
Want a delicious and easy gingerbread man recipe? How about some fun gingerbread craft projects? 
Wishing you friendship and a gleeful week, Tamuria.