by Christyl Rivers

Created on: December 03, 2010

Warm the Christmas cockles of your heart with cookies!  Nothing brings out cheer like conversation, coffee, and cookies with friends and neighbors. Host a cookie exchange party as an annual tradition, and ever so slowly people will include it in their “not to be missed” category of Holiday events.

Get your friends and neighbors involved, if they show interest, in helping baking and decorating. Most people are delighted to be included. Get invites sent out as early as possible, but don’t feel bad if you have to schedule after Christmas.  This is when many people have a cleared calendar, and they are ready for an informal break. Also, this is when many folks have too many goodies under their tree and are eager to share them.

Cookie parties, especially if done for your neighborhood to bring people together, should be non-denominational. It does not matter if you are Christian, Jew, Muslim, or other, to enjoy the inclusiveness that is represented by our yearly celebration of light and hope in the midst of darkness.  Many people feel isolated or left out by non being religious. Cookies can solve that exclusion in the true spirit of giving.

Choose a theme to make it fun.  In Hawaii we often use snow men and women motifs because we all miss snow.  Snowflakes abound, even on the cookies. Think of something fun and appropriate to your tastes and sense of humor.

Throughout the year collect festive and re-usable containers for cookies. Tins, wooden boxes, glass jars, and the dreaded plastic (the kind that can be recycled) can be made decorative to your theme.  People are happy to have a very unique and practical container to take home that they can use, and it is better for living things to not have cheap plastic.

It is worth it, also, to use real china, utensils, and glassware rather than cheap disposable plates and cups. It is not that much more effort to fill a dishwasher, but the classy factor of going to the extra trouble to show you feel people are worthy of cloth napkins, and pretty plates, makes the entire event much more special.  It also makes the party very beautiful.

A cookie exchange allows you, and guests, the freedom to bring, and take, as many cookies or as few, as they wish. A “bring a cookie, take a cookie, OR, bring a 100, take a 100” policy is best.  It allows guests the freedom to not have to be a professional chef, but to participate to whatever degree they are comfortable. We also do not insist upon all home-made cookies.  Some folks really do not have time or skill to bake, but they too, should be included with even a store-bought contribution that they “purchased with their own two hands!”  We have found that no one, in the decade we have hosted such a party, has rudely taken advantage of the opportunity to bring nothing and take lots. 

One short word about children. Make sure they are supervised.  They are the only culprits to usually over-indulge, get hopped up on a sugar high, and run wild with laughter and mayhem.  We say, if you can't beat them, join them.  (But really, you should never beat your kids!) Just be aware they may be disruptive to other guests.

Cookie sharing just seems to bring out the best in people, and if you would like to make up silly games, such as pin the pom pom on the elf hat, ugliest cookie contest,  tacky secret gift exchange, then go for it.  People like laughter and togetherness at Holiday time and everyone seems to love cookies.

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