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Cookie Exchange Time!

397_1544_col_smallA Cookie Exchange is a great way to get some different cookies in your house for the holidays and a great way to have a sweet time of fellowship with friends. Here are some ideas from the 2009 CHK Christmas Planner to get you started on your own Christmas Cookie Exchange.

The first step is to decide on a date.

You will need at least an hour to exchange cookies, but do try to have everyone linger longer than that. It’s so much fun to sample the cookies and chat. After you have decided on your date and time, decide how many cookies your guests will need to bake. I have found that 6 dozen is a good number. If you want to be able to sample everyone’s cookies, be sure to tell your guests to bring 7 dozen… one dozen for sampling and 6 dozen for trading.

Here are some good rules for your Cookie Exchange.

Make sure the rules are on each invitation. You can choose whichever of the rules you want to use but be sure you let everyone know the rules. It will make for a better party:

  1. Bake and bring 6 dozen cookies.
  2. No “No-Bake” cookies*
  3. No chocolate chip cookies*
  4. Bring a container for your cookies
  5. Dress festively
  6. Most outrageous Christmas outfit wins a prize!

One way to make sure everyone knows everything there is to know is to hand out or mail invitations that include the date, place and time of the exchange as well as the rules.

*Why no No-Bake cookies?

Well, because once I heard someone say, Little Johnny rolled these all by himself!” And since they are no-bake, there may still be a few germs lurking…. just don’t want to make anyone sick.

*Why no Chocolate Chip cookies?

Because you will get 26 dozen chocolate chip cookies! If you have a large Cookie Exchange, you can have a sign up list and the first person to sign up with Chocolate Chip, is the only one who will get to bring them.

As people arrive at the exchange arrange their cookies on attractive platters and dishes on a large table. Decorate the table festively and make it beautiful to look at. Everyone will want to take pictures!

Play A Game

As each guest arrives, give them a necklace made of gold or red cord with a clothespin attached to it. Tell each guest that they may not say the word “Cookie” or “Recipe” If they do, someone else may take their clothespin. Then make it hard for them, ask each person to tell about her cookie and the recipe! The one guest with the most clothespins at the end of the evening gets a special prize.

Give Away A Door Prize

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Draw a name for a door prize. Collect names at the door when guests arrive, put them in a bowl and draw one out! Don’t stress over prizes! Prizes can be tokens or trinkets or small kitchen gadgets. Cookie cutters are especially appropriate, so are Christmas designed cupcake papers.

Time to Exchange The Cookies!

When its time for everyone to exchange cookies, here’s how to do it. Have everyone line up with their containers in hand. Walk around the table in that line, and allow everyone to pick up 1 dozen cookies. Next time, start at the end of the line and walk through again picking up 1 dozen cookies. Do this how ever many times necessary. Allow each individual to pick up just 3 or 4 of each kind of cookie every time around the table until they have 1 dozen total cookies. If you have made 6 dozen cookies each, and you are not sampling cookies, then your line would go by the table 6 times.

If you aren’t going to sample cookies, have some refreshments on hand for your guests. Make sure you have something for everyone; sweet and unsweetened drinks, sweet and unsweetened snacks. And by all means, have fun!

Sylvia Britton
Sylvia Brittonhttp://www.christianhomekeeper.org
Sylvia Britton is a Clarksville native and owner of the Christian HomeKeeper™ Network website and ministry. She and her husband Mark are the parents of 5 children and grandparents to two little girls.  She enjoys reading, mentoring women, writing articles for several magazines, gardening and Tennessee history.
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