A Christmas cookie swap is as simple as it sounds. Friends gather together at another friend’s home, bringing their favorite baked cookies on a platter or tray. All the platters and trays are put on a table. The friends gather around the table; taking take two or three cookies from each dish or platter, to take home. This is the cookie swap. What makes this particular event so wonderful is each person may have a story about the cookies, i.e., where the recipe came from; anecdotes about preparing the cookies, etc.
Are you ready to plan your Christmas cookie swap? Let’s begin with the invitations.
Purchase or make your own invitations and send them to your friends. Set a date and time convenient for all, perhaps a late morning on a Sunday afternoon. Be sure to add an RSVP so you know how many are attending. This will determine how many cookies you need to bake.
The night before the event, begin baking your favorite cookies using either recipes handed down from your mother or grandmother, or new recipes you have made experimenting on your own. Place your cookies on your Christmas plate or tray, cover the cookies with wrap, and set aside in a cool area.
Decorate your main table with a Christmas tablecloth and matching napkins. Use your Christmas cups and saucers; dessert plates; creamer; sugar bowl; and flatware. Arrange a beautiful poinsettia centerpiece for the table. Next, prepare and decorate a second table on which the plates or trays of baked cookies will be placed.
On the day of your event, prepare your coffee pot and tea kettle about half hour before your friends arrive. Finally, your friends come bearing delicious baked cookies, filling your home with a wonderful aroma. Show your friends to the cookie table, and have each friend set down their plate or tray of cookies on the table.
After much conversation, call your friends together for the cookie swap. Gather everyone around the cookie table, and begin the process of each person walking around the table, taking two or three cookies from each tray. When finished, have everyone sit at your main table and the storytelling can begin. Every participant leaves with a selection of cookies that they can share at their homes with visitors and guests.
Planning a Christmas cookie swap is fairly easy. Having your friends come to your home with their own recipes and sharing stories is the icing on the “cookie.”
