Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Mix the egg with the syrup, sugar and butter. Add the vanilla.
In another bowl sift the flour and baking soda together.
Combine the two mixture into a firm dough.
Shape the dough into a ball and rest in the fridge for 20 minutes, then roll it out to 5mm thickness on a lightly floured surface.
Using Christmassy cookie cutters stamp out shapes. If you want to hang them, cut out a small hole in the top of each cookie (using a skewer or straw).
Reroll the leftover dough and cut out more shapes.
Put the cookies on a non-stick or lined baking tray and bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly golden.
Transfer them to a wire rack to cool. Dust with icing sugar, or decorate with icing, food coloring, chocolate/fondant pen, edible glitter & balls and so on.
Thread with a piece of ribbon or string when dry.