Entertaining

We’re gearing up for a cookie exchange party over here! Have you been to one before? It’s pretty amazing. All the homemade, delicious cookies you can imagine. I love a good cookie exchange, because I get to try different cookies that I usually make at home.

one | two | three | four | five | six | seven | eight | nine | ten
eleven | twelve | thirteen | fourteen | fifteen

Here are a couple of tips I’ve learned over the years to help make your party a success.

1. INVITES
   I always use Evite or another online invite service because then people can rsvp and let everyone know what cookie they’ll be bringing, so no one brings the same cookies. Other guests can also see how many people are coming, so they know how many cookies to bake. I usually plan to have each guest take around 6 -12 cookies of each kind home with them.
2. COOKIE CONTAINERS
   Speaking of bringing cookies home. You can either have guests repurpose the container they brought to store the cookies they’ve collected. Or these adorable santa-themed to-go containers would be perfect. 
3. FAVORS
   Totally not necessary, but guests always appreciate that little extra touch. This year, I gifted mini spatulas, cookie cutters and whisks with a festive ribbon and gift tag.
4. PLATTERS
   I always put out a bunch of empty platters so that guests can use them to display their cookies. And I also keep room available on the table for guests to use their own platters.
5. COOKIE NAMES
   I add a few blank cards to the table so that guests can write the name of their cookie, sometimes it’s just so hard to tell what is what!
6. RECIPES
   Another great tip is to have each guest bring enough copies of their cookie recipe on a standard recipe/note card. I put it on a separate table so that the guests can compile their own little mini-cookie cookbook at the end of the night. All you need to provide is a decorative front cover and either a stapler or a hole punch and string or brads.

This time around I had the kids help out and decorate the shortbread and gingerbread cookies. Gotta love the enthusiasm, right? World Market made it pretty easy on us by offering ready-made shortbread, along with frosting and sprinkles. I also picked up this gingerbread gnome kit. Because the more the merrier right? World Market literally had everything I needed for the party. I love it when you can everything done in one shopping trip!!

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