Cookie Exchange Take time out of your hectic holiday season this year to host a fun cookie exchange!
What Is a Cookie Exchange? This holiday season, the last thing on your mind is baking a wide variety of cookies. Presents still need to be bought and wrapped. The house needs to be cleaned for the relatives, and the Christmas dinner still needs to be cooked. But if you still want to be able to offer your holiday guests a tray full of various goodies, try hosting a cookie exchange to help ease your mind of cookie chaos. It's a quick and easy way to get a wide assortment of delicious holiday cookies and it will help get you and your friends in the holiday spirit with a fun and festive party. Just invite 8-12 people to bring their favorite holiday cookies for each person attending the party. At the party, everyone swaps cookies and ends up with 8-12 different kinds of delicious holiday treats instantly! A holiday cookie exchange saves you time because you only have to bake one kind of cookie, and it saves you money because you only have to buy the ingredients for one recipe. If you feel that hosting an exchange at your home would be too stressful, try holding one at work. A cookie exchange can easily be done over the lunch hour or right after work. Planning a Holiday Cookie Exchange What you need: - 8-12 friends
- invitations for the party
- a dozen cookies for each of your guests
- your cookie's recipe for each of your guests (optional)
Instructions: - Choose a date and time that is most convenient for people's busy schedules—either weekday evenings or weekend mornings usually work well. Limit the party to only a few hours so that neither you nor your guests feel too obligated. If you're having the exchange at work, holding it during the lunch hour would probably be the most convenient.
- Invite 8-12 friends. You need enough people to have a variety of cookies, but too many people means too much baking for everyone.
- Instruct each person to make a dozen cookies for every person attending the exchange. This is a must—each person must come with a dozen cookies so that each person gets the same number of cookies. If your friends are worried that they don't have enough time to bake, tell them to make a trip to their favorite bakery and pick up enough cookies to go around.
- When your guests RSVP, be sure to ask them what kind of cookie they are bringing so you can have the best variety possible. Also remind them to bring extra cookies for sampling and extra containers for the goodies they will be picking up.
On the Day of the Exchange What you need: - a big room
- festive decorations
- assorted holiday music
- refreshments
- a long table or tables
- ice breaker games (optional)
- raffle/contest prizes (optional)
Instructions: - Choose a room in your home or office that will be spacious enough to hold all of your guests comfortably.
- Use festive decorations and music to help give your holiday party the right atmosphere. If you're holding the exchange at home, you will probably have it all decorated already, but if you're doing it at work, try bringing just a few decorations to help get everyone in the festive spirit.
- By telling your guests to bring extra cookies, all you need to provide is beverages. Tea, coffee, cocoa and cider will give your party a cozy, comfortable feel to it.
- Set up all of the cookies on a long table or tables so that your guests can pick up each kind quickly and easily.
- Admire everyone's work and enjoy your party!
Additional Entertaining Ideas: - Hold a "Best Holiday Outfit" contest and award the person who's dressed best for the season with a holiday cookbook.
- Give raffle tickets to your guests and raffle off prizes such as cookie cutters or holiday decorations.
- If your guests don't know each other very well, have some icebreaker games ready to help make everyone feel comfortable and relaxed.
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