Thursday

How to Host a Cookie Exchange

This post is written by guest writer, Dana Foster. She is by far one of my most creative friends and always has lots of ideas that she's sending my way. One thing I appreciate about her is that when she does a party, she puts so much thought and time into it for her guests that it makes them feel special to have been a part of the event. I think that when a host takes time to consider the details, whether it's a child's birthday party or a cookie exchange, it adds so much more flavor to the party. Nothing has to be outrageously done. Just simple things that tie the event together can be a blessing to your guests.

Recently she hosted a cookie exchange and I asked her to share with you what she did in case you are interested in hosting one of your own.

Hello to Becky’s readers! Becky recently asked me to write some ideas on Holiday Decorating. Once I decided that I wanted to host a Cookie Exchange, we decided to share with you about the party! I’ve always wanted to have a Christmas Cookie Exchange, and in my book, it’s just another excuse to party with the ladies, so the planning took off!

For those of you that know me, I like to plan parties! If I could quit my job as a nurse and plan parties professionally (and make the same $!), I would definitely do it! I guess it’s almost a challenge to me…what kind of party should I plan? What should the theme be? What crafty and creative ideas can I find to help my party be a success? Did you catch that? I said, “What ideas can I find?” I’m really not a creative person! I “cheat and steal” ideas from others! There are so many resources online and in magazines that I don’t have to be the creative one!

For the cookie exchange, I started by searching in google for “cookie exchange” – imagine that! I found great ideas for my invitations, for cookie making in general, which cookies are best for exchanges and more. I even included the website on my invitations for my guests to read.

Next, in order for me to plan a party, I must have some sort of theme. If it’s not as easy as a Pirate themed birthday party or a vintage themed baby shower, I usually go in search of tableware that I can draw a theme out of. In the case of the cookie exchange, I found cute peppermint plates and napkins…the theme took off from there. I decorated with candy canes, peppermints and anything red, green and white.




Here are some Cookie Exchange Details you may want to include. This information was on the back of the invitation.


• Please RSVP ASAP! We will be making ½ dozen cookies per person coming to the exchange (with a limit of 6 dozen cookies) so we need to have an accurate head count. Please bring any remaining cookies to taste during the evening.
• When you RSVP, please tell me what recipe you will be making and please email me a copy of the recipe prior to the exchange. The recipes will then be shared with everyone at the swap. The sooner the better is appreciated!
• Please bring each ½ dozen wrapped individually – this can be done as easy as putting them on paper plates with plastic wrap, although feel free to be creative!
• Check out http://cookie exchange.com/baking_tips.html for some helpful info. About cookie baking.
• If you want to come for the evening, but not be involved in the cookie exchange, let me know (but remember, you won’t be going home with tons of yummy cookies!!).


Here are a few suggestions for when it comes to decorating. 1) Keep it simple  2) candles always add a really nice touch for both the setting and smell  3) Make your food/dishes part of the decorations. (For example, I have Pampered Chef Simple Additions bowls that I put peppermint scrapbook paper on to add just a little more to my theme) (a picture of this is on the left hand side of the above picture) 4) Don’t go overboard – most people aren't going to notice anyway.

Next comes food…the best part of a party! Start by determining who your guests are. Obviously, you wouldn’t have the same food at the Pirate Birthday Party as you would at a Ladies Cookie Exchange.


You also want to determine the time of day for your party in order to determine what kind of food to have. I’ve always wanted to do have a fondue party, so I decided on cheese and chocolate fondue. In my group of friends, no one expects me to provide all the food. Don’t feel like you have to either!

In this case, I provided the fondue and a few “dippers”, but also asked each guest to bring a “dipper” to share. It helped lighten my load and is a simple way for others to contribute.

Here are some pictures to show how the cookies were assembled. I also typed up all of the recipes from the exchange and distributed them to all who came.


Our evening was a great time of fellowship. Talking, food, no kids…what more could we ask for? Did it all go perfect? NO! It never does, but that's okay! My cheese fondue was gone before we knew it so I had to ran upstairs to find Velveeta. It worked fine and some even liked it better than the expensive cheese! The best part is spending time with your guests and watching them enjoy themselves at the party you’ve planned – always a treat!


Dana is a wife, mother of two active boys, and a registered nurse in the ER. In her *free* time she enjoys scrapbooking...and party planning!



After I brought my cookies home we shared them with the neighbors. Carter decorated a brown paper bag with a Christmas tree and I put the cookies in there along with our Christmas card.

2 comments:

Amanda Padgett said...

Great post! I love going to those type parties!

Gave it a Stumble for you; hope it helps.

zerry ht said...

Will surely try this chocolate caramel fondue recipe. My friend went for a birthday party of her neighbor at one of top rated LA venue couple of weeks ago. She was highly impressed with table settings and crystal decorations.

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