Hosting a Holiday Cookie Swap

Have you ever been to a cookie swap? A cookie swap party is when everyone you invite brings enough cookies to share. The holidays are a perfect time to invite friends over for a cookie swap. You can have a cookie swap with families with children or if you want some "mommy" time, host a party during the day when the kids are in school. Either way, you can be sure that everyone will have a great time taste-testing new cookies and taking recipes home with them.

The basic idea of a cookie swap party is to have each person bring enough cookies that each person at the party can take 6-12 of each kind of cookie home. For example, if you have a cookie swap and invite four other families (with a total of five families including yours), you would ask each family to bring five-dozen of one kind of cookie, plus copies of the recipe. If you want everyone to be able to eat the cookies at the party, then ask them to bring a few more for party snacks. Then, each family would take home a dozen of each kind. Cookie swap parties are easy and everyone will appreciate the home baked goods.

When you plan a cookie swap party, carefully consider the time and the day. The holidays are always a very busy time. Plan ahead, usually five to six weeks so that everyone can mark his or her calendars well in advance. Next, pick a day of the week that generally works for everyone. Weekday evenings are usually busy, so consider a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, after lunch or dinner.

Next, plan out how many people or families you will want to invite. This will help you determine how many cookies you will ask each person to bring. If you are hosting a cookie swap party for individuals instead of whole families, you might want to ask for fewer cookies. For example, if you are inviting 20 people, you do not want to ask everyone to bake 240 cookies! If each person brought 120 of one kind of cookie, then each person could take home a half a dozen of each recipe.

Also, it might be fun to give out awards at your holiday cookie swap party. You could include this information in your invitation. You could give out the "Top Cookie" award for categories such as Most Chocolatey, Most Original, Moistest Cookie, Crunchiest Cookie, Most Plain Cookie or even the Biggest or the Smallest Cookie. Kids will enjoy the awards. You can give out certificates that you have made on the computer before the party has started and maybe even a cookie recipe book.

Now you are ready to send out your invitations. It would be safe to say that many people have never attended a holiday cookie swap, so capture their attention with a unique invitation. Consider making an invitation out of brown construction paper that resembles a cookie. You could even use craft scissors to make a big bite out of the card.

In your invitation, you should include all the party basics-the where, when, time, date and location. Then, instruct each recipient on how the party will work and how many cookies he or she should bring. Let everyone know that his or her cookies will be placed on a plate and everyone will take a dozen home. Also, ask the family to bring enough copies of the recipe for each person at the party. That way, you can gather the recipes and make a take-home cookbook for each family. You could even decorate folders (the kind with brads) to make it look very festive. You might even want to take a digital picture of everyone at the party and include that on the front cover. Not only will the party-goers have some great cookies, but also a memorable keepsake, too.

On the day of your actual party, decorate a long table using a festive tablecloth and platters (enough for each cookie recipe). Have gallon sized zipper bags for each person to use to take the cookies home. Also, have a large platter of cookies that can be eaten at the party. Everyone will be in the mood to sample, so this is the place for the snacking. Have hot chocolate, milk and coffee ready, too. You might also want to consider having other snacks besides cookies-something salty like chips and dips or even fruit.

This coming holiday, try celebrating the season with a holiday cookie swap party. Everyone enjoys eating delicious homemade treats, so why not give your family and friends a reason to enjoy each other's company and the good home cooking of holiday cookies?