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Tips for Hosting a Cookie Exchange for Kids

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Hi Everyone. On Tuesday evening my mom passed away after battling an agressive skin cancer since February. I am currently back home in So Cal while we work through all of this & I will be personally blogging very minimally until the end of the year. I do however have some AMAZING blogging friends that will be guest posting here & giving me that enormous support & help. So today- please welcome Emily- from Nap-Time Creations. Emily is incredibly talented in so many areas – I love her creativity! She is also one of my co-hosts for Create Link Inspire!!! Welcome Emily!!

Tips for Hosting a Cookie Exchange for Kids

‘Tis the season…and I mean COOKIE SEASON! I love Christmas baking! SO many fun colors, flavors and variety. I’ve hosted a cookie exchange for some of my mom friends for a few years now and today I thought I would share some of the tips I’ve learned a long the way. First, lets just say this is not your everyone bring six dozen, have a fun evening drinking cider away from the kids get-together. I wanted to get my kids involved in the decorating {and even baking} of my Christmas cookies. So… Tips for hosting a cookie exchange with kids:

 As you can see in the {old!} photo above, I’ve been making Christmas cookies withe my son since he was two. I like to eat a variety of cookies, but get overwhelmed by baking them all. We host and open house for my Husband’s school team so I need a lot of cookies. Years ago I decided to invite some friends to help me out with the variety factor. So I invited a few…
1. Invite some friends…the number doesn’t matter!
2. The host makes the sugar cookies for decorating and supplies the decorations {or have everyone bring their favorite sprinkle}
 3. Make up some whole wheat no-sugar cookies for the little ones {We avoid giving sugar to the kids until they are two, so this recipe was my creation when they were young and I always bake a small batch now for friends with babies.}
4. We live in small Hong Kong apartments and most don’t have ovens. So… a glorified toaster oven is what we bake with {I’m blessed to live at a complex with pretty much full sized ovens}. When you can bake about six cookies at a time, its too much to make dozens and dozens.
So, whatever amount you bring, that’s the number you take home.
I still get the variety I want {although not an equal number}and no one is stressed.
5. We begin the gathering by letting the kids play and dividing up the cookies. Isn’t that a gorgeous table of cookies! {yum, can’t wait!} Then let the decorating begin! Everyone now knows which cookies they are taking home and can lets their own kids make a mess of them, I mean decorate them. {ha!} here are photos from the laste three years’ parties.
2010
2011
 2012
 6. Hide a few cookies to decorate how you want later and let the kids go crazy on a few… they generally get tired after several and then the moms can finish up. It’s messy, and yes, I’m finding sprinkles until Easter, but its worth it!
This year I’m going to try royal icing in squeeze bottles to see if that helps with the mess. I really like the way it looks on cookies too. This great post over at Bake at 360 gives great tips for kids decorating too. Those are my ideas… Do you participate in any Cookie Exchanges over the holidays? What are your tips?
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Thank you so much Emily for your tips- LOVE them. Hoping to do this next Christmas season.

To see where I am linking today- visit HERE

 


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  1. Kimberly says

    Gina, I’m so sorry to hear about your mom. You and your family are in my prayers. Praying God’s comfort for you during this difficult time.

    Reply

  2. Emily Thompson says

    Looks great… hope you are doing well… fun to see these photos on your blog…

    Reply

  3. Krista @ joyful healthy eats says

    Gina, I am so sorry to hear about your mom. Mike and I will definitely be praying for you and your family.

    Krista

    Reply

  4. Barbara Hoyer says

    I’m sorry to hear about your mom.

    I love seeing the kids have a great time in the cookie exchange. A friend of mine used to do that with fellow homeschoolers; I miss going!

    Reply

  5. cynthial1956 says

    Wish my daughter was still young so we could do a kid’s cookies exchange. Too cute! Thank you for linking to the In and Out of the Kitchen Link Party. Hope to see you next week.

    Reply

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