are also part of the Xmas holiday traditions
Some historians claim Gingerbread Houses date from the early 19th century : "Hansel and Gretel" -a fairy tale by the Grimm Brothers - showed such a house. But others suggest that the Grimms merely developed a pre-existent idea..

As for the White House, each year both members of its staff, and its Pastry Team contribute to maintain the holiday tradition : more than 150 pounds of gingerbread dough and 250 libers of white chocolate are used to build the White House Gingerbread House. You can watch how it is achieved in the video below :
pastry = sweet baked goods such as cakes, biscuits etc | dough = flour mixed with water, fat, sometimes yeast (levure), to be baked.