Advice for a newbie cookie exchange thrower

Advice for a newbie cookie exchange thrower

• dancegypsy67 17 years ago
  As mentioned in another topic, I think I'm going to try throwing my first exchange. Since I don't have the experience of participating in one, could I pick your collective brain? What works, what doesn't?
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• notyourmomma 17 years ago said:
  A dozen or less participants would be my ideal. I have invited more with trepidation. I tend to be pretty firm that they rsvp. Making 13 to 14 dozen cookies of the same recipe (12 dozen to pass out) and one or two dozen to nibble on during the party is fun. We have had as little as 6 show up with cookies enough for 12 and I think we all gained 10 lbs. that Christmas. Really 8 to 12 is the most fun and the work involved isn't as daunting.
  
  Part of the fun is the fun ways to package the dozen cookies, the most creative packaging gets a prize. We do secret ballots on 1) favorite tasting cookie 2) favorite packaging 3) best traveling cookie recipe (for packing off to kids in college) 4) most nostalgic 5) easiest to make 6) favorite for kids to help with, etc.. We kind of Iron Chef the cookies by consensus ballot. It is fun and a little competitiveness makes us try a little harder than slice and bake or buying bakery made. (Although there are some very fine bakeries, we are aiming for the homemade cookie).
  
  We have used ornaments as prizes (I shop after X-Mas for next year and luckily have room to store the ornaments.) Other years, we have had different cookie cutters as the hand-out. One year we gave out mugs filled with cocoa mix as the winning prize-dollar store is my friend!
  
  Our group is pretty set in who will come and we share the hosting duties each year come October by vote on who has the least commotion in their lives...some years there are multiple grandbabies or moves and promotions and it would be too hard for someone to host,every year or if they are in crisis so we rotate duties, Our invitations are sent via email by November 15. We try to host the swap by the second weekend of December (after Thanksgiving but before the real Holiday crunch!)
  
  We try really hard not to tip our hands on what kind of cookie we are making but we don't want 12 ginger snaps so when we RSVP to the host, we give a general idea whether we are making a bar cookie or chocolate or a variety of rolled or drop. The host can suggest gently "we've got 2 sugar cookies RSVP"d already, can you think of something else? It also encourages our invitees to RSVP early so they can reserve their cookie of choice.
  
  Now, timing is up to you. When we had younger kids, we did it early in the day when they were at school and had coffee and tea to drink. (Milk for the die-hards) As the kids grew and were off on their own we started later in the day and added punches with punch! And the parties became even more fun. Coffee is always offered and we keep the timing to about 1 1/2 hours for chat, nibble and a drink or two, plus the ballots and prizes.
  
  We have included spouses or significant others and it just got confusing and it was too crowded. The whole point was to make a big bunch of one kind of cookie and go home with 8-12 different kinds of cookies! If you want to entertain the s/o's, this isn't really the party to plan. Maybe a tree trimming party would accomplish a couples kind of party.
  
  Heavens, honey, I 'm a blowhard and don't know when to quit. This is what has worked for us and I look forward to this gathering each year. We have so much news to share and so many wonderful times to remember. Isn't that what good food and good friends are all about? Making memories and sharing good food and good cheer!
  
  toodlles, Tina
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• dancegypsy67 17 years ago said:
  I wonder how many people I could get to commit...my friends have "issues".
  
  Thank you SO much for this thoughtful post. I'm ready to start baking! (no...wait...it's too bloody hot!)
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• notyourmomma 15 years ago said:
  Information for the new cookie exchangers this year.
  Our yearly exchange has been cancelled, due to missing members....since the kids have graduated school, our usual group of bakers (aka mothers of ice skaters) are splintered and I'm very sad over the whole issue.
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