I have been hostessing a cookie exchange for the past 7 or so ears for the ladies I work with. They have come to expect it and around October I start getting questions about when, etc.
A couple of years ago everyone decided that 6 cookies was too many considering the amount of people who come. So I'll give you a little breakdown of my party.
We exchange 4 cookies per person= 4pp x 20=80 cookies each person makes.
Cookies must be festively wrapped and I usually give a little prize for best.
We have a potluck and I usually make the meat dish.
We all eat lunch and then we go into my front room and sit in a circle. Now Im lucky here because my daughter is a girl scout and I have her and a couple of my other girls pass the cookies out.
Everyone cleans up after that and goes home.
It lasts about 2 hours and I always do it on the first Saturday of December.
Now you asked about entertainment.
Music, yes. Movie, no. Ladies like to talk.
In the past we have made extra sets of cookies and have given them to the military or to a girls home.
One of the most anticipated thing at my party is that we have a dish towel exchange.
Each person buys a new dishtowel of their choosing, mostly holiday, 1-3 dollars.
They bring this wrapped with no names on it and place it under my tree.
Before we pass out the cookies, but after lunch, when we are sitting in our circle, we each have been given a number and we taken turns picking a towel. One can either choose one that hasnt been unwrapped yet or can steal from another person. Once the towel has been stolen twice., it is considered dead and can no longer be stolen.
I have never made party bags for this but if your crafty you could make something.
Did I say brief earlier? Oh well! I ramble!
Hope you have fun and happy baking!!
PS there is a site called Robins cookie exchange and I think if you google it, it should come up. She is like the queen of cookie exchanges!
Rita
