Host a Holiday Cookie Party
The holiday season has arrived and we are looking forward to celebrating with our friends and family. Your Golden Coil planner will be a wonderful tool to utilize this season. You can even create a dedicated Golden Coil holiday notebook or planner to pull out every December!
One of our favorite holiday traditions is hosting or attending a cookie swap party. Have you ever hosted or been to one? Today we’re sharing our tips for hosting your own party. And if you’re a seasoned cookie swapper, leave your notes in the comments! We’d love to hear your tips for making this a successful and fun party!
Guest List & Invites
As you think about your guest list, think about including friends who enjoy baking. If you have friends you’d like to include who don’t enjoy baking, think about another way they can contribute to the party. Maybe they provide a simple party favor or something else in lieu of baking. Think about what time you’d like to schedule the party. We like hosting cookie parties during the late afternoon. Instead of hosting around a main meal time, you can keep it easy with snacks and drinks.
Send invitations a few weeks in advance. You can save paper and send invites digitally. You could also make an invite on paper and tie it to a cookie cutter and hand deliver to mailboxes and porches. The number of cookies you’d like each guest to bring is entirely up to you. For small cookies, generally 3-4 cookies per person is good. For larger cookies, 1-2 per person might be enough. For a party with 10 guests, you may want to request each person bring 2 to 3 dozen cookies.
Staying Organized
If your planner includes an Events layout, this is a great time to use it. You can plan your menu, shopping list, decor, timeline, and keep track of guests and RSVPS. You can also attach favorite recipes and inspiration. As you think about planning your food and drinks, keep things easy. Think about what you can do in advance. The less you have to do on the day of the party, the better! Make ahead simple dips and vegetables or an easy pot of soup. You can skip the sweets because there will be plenty of cookie sampling happening at the party! Warm up cider or make a festive holiday punch to drink.
Party Prep
Use your planner to keep you on track as you prepare for the party. In addition to organizing food and drinks, make sure your own cookies are ready to go. You can also stock up on bakery boxes, ribbon, parchment sheets, and bags for guests to put their cookies in. Set up a small area near the cookies so everyone can easily grab a box to build their cookie selections. Think about how you want to display all of the cookies as guests bring them to the table. You can arrange platters and cake plates of varying heights with ornaments and fairy lights. If you expect a lot of cookies, you can keep it simple and line the table with brown paper and leave out markers so each guest can line up their cookies and jot down the name of their cookie. Many of these tasks can be done the night before and will make the party day easier!
Day Of
A few hours before guests arrive, give the house a quick clean and put on a festive playlist. Light some candles and designate a spot for guests to put their coats and shoes. Begin warming up food and arrange plates, napkins, and flatware. If you’re serving cheese, pull any cheeses from the fridge at least an hour before the party. Ice down drinks and set out cups. Set out any cookies you’ve baked and relax before everyone arrives!
Tips and Tricks
If you’re expecting a big group, turn down the heat a few notches so no one overheats once you have a house full.
Regular ice is fine, but special ice cubes are fun and festive! Fill your ice trays with cranberries and rosemary sprigs before filling with water.
If you have space and time and want to have an activity at the party, set up a table with an ornament craft or supplies to make gift tags.
Invite friends to bring copies of their cookie recipes to share with other guests.
The end of the year is a great time to take stock of the past year and look ahead. Set out envelopes and stamps. Have each guest write down a favorite memory from the past year and a goal they have for the new year. They can seal up the envelope and address to themselves. Collect the envelopes and save to send to guests in January after the holiday season comes to a close.
If you’re bringing together a group of people who don’t know each other well, tie holiday themed question prompts to glassware or sprinkle around your space to get people talking. You could ask questions like, “What’s a favorite holiday tradition in your family?” “Who’s the loudest person in your extended family?” “What’s your favorite and least favorite holiday song?” “What tradition would you love to start in your family?” “Have a holiday cooking fail story to share?”
Okay, your turn! Spill all your favorite holiday party tips and ideas in the comments! Have you hosted a cookie party before? What worked when you hosted and what would you skip next time? Happy baking and hosting this season!