Cream shortening and sugar in large bowl. Mix flour with salt, soda and spices in large Pyrex.
Blend into creamed mixture alternately with molasses and water.
Chill 1 hour.
Roll half the dough at a time, ¼ “ thick.
Cut with floured cookie cutters. Lift onto lightly greased baking sheets.
Refrigerate scraps of dough while rolling second portion. Combine all scraps and reroll to cut as many as you can. :)
Bake 350° oven 12 minutes, or until cookies spring back when touched lightly in the center. Do not brown. Cool, remove to wire racks. When cold, decorate.