‘Tis the season to eat and be merry! Holidays are about cherishing favorite traditions. And one of the holiday favorites that everyone loves and looks forward to is the cookie exchange. (also known as the cookie swap!) It is also the perfect excuse to get the girls together for an afternoon or evening of yummy fun! The first step is to send out the cookie exchange invitations. One of the top sellers for this occasion is the Cookie Exchange Time – Christmas Party Invitations. You will want to make sure to send out your invitations about a month early. Remember, this is a busy time of year and you want to make sure that guests mark their calendars for this special event. It also gives them time to prepare and set the time aside for the shopping, baking and decorating of cookies. You will want to request on the invitations for guests to bring 1 or 2 dozen of their favorite cookies along with the recipe to share. When guests arrive at the party, you will want to have a large table set for displaying all of the cookies. You may have Christmas music in the background to create the holiday spirit. Other ideas are to have hors d’oeuvres and drinks available for the guests to enjoy. You may offer traditional hot chocolate, eggnog, or apple cider. Once everyone has arrived and has had the chance to mingle and gossip a little, you may begin the tasting of the cookies. One popular tradition is to have each person hold up their cookies one at a time. They can tell the history of the cookie recipe along with any stories behind their favorite cookie. (and trust me, these stories always get quite interesting and sure add a lot of flavor to the party!) Then the cookies can be passed around for tasting. This way, each and every cookie is savored and enjoyed by all!

I hope you all had a great Halloween earlier this week…and now it is time to focus on the next big holiday. Thanksgiving will be here before you know it. So, it is time to start thinking about place settings and napkins so that you holiday table will look it’s best. So, start sending out those invites to your festive feast!