Planning a family cookie exchange for xmas party, What are the pros and cons of doing this?!
Cons-- There always seems to be one person who has to buy something from the store because they don't feel like taking the time to make something special.
How about turning it into a little friendly competition? Give out prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in most creative, best tasting, etc. Tell everyone to bring enough so everyone takes a few home plus 5-10 more for judging. You can also tell everyone to bring a little something to be used as a prize but be sure to set a spending limit on the prize. We have a Chrismas cookie bake-off at school every year, and then the cookies are sold at lunch and the money given to charity. It's very popular! Happy Baking!
Answers: Pros-- Helloooooo. COOKIES!
Cons-- There always seems to be one person who has to buy something from the store because they don't feel like taking the time to make something special.
How about turning it into a little friendly competition? Give out prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in most creative, best tasting, etc. Tell everyone to bring enough so everyone takes a few home plus 5-10 more for judging. You can also tell everyone to bring a little something to be used as a prize but be sure to set a spending limit on the prize. We have a Chrismas cookie bake-off at school every year, and then the cookies are sold at lunch and the money given to charity. It's very popular! Happy Baking!
CON-getting really bad nasty make you want to hurl cookies from a beloved family member and having to eat them to avoid hurting thir feelings
PRO: discovering the best cookie you've ever had in your life.
CON: when asking what the secret ingredient is, finding out that your nose-picking nephew helped to make it.
Pros are that you get to come together as a family and share something you've created. Cons might be that you spend money and time on something and give it to someone who spent less money or time on theirs...might get something you don't like...may be hard to transport cookies...all seem like silly reasons to me though! I would say go for it.
Maybe make a rule of no sugar cookies or gingerbread though, that will force everyone to search out something new and exciting and then everyone won't end up with the same thing.
They can be fun if everyone truly participates. Each person gets a variety of cookies they may never have had before.
The downside is that it can be a fair bit of work and not everyone is into that kind of thing.
One of the points to a cookie exchange is to get some new cookie recipes. I don't know about your family, but in my family everybody already has any cookie recipes that I am willing to give away. The cookie recipes that I really want are their signature recipes and while I adore those cookies, the recipe isn't happening anytime soon. If I beg I might get a batch as a Christmas present.
I like to do cookie exchanges with friends, neighbors and people from the office that I don't see as often or socialize with as much, If you do decide to do a cookie exchange, make sure that you specify "home baked only" on the invitation. Nothing is more disappointing than to find store bought cookie or cookie made from refrigerated purchased dough at a cookie exchange. Nothing "special" there for sure.
What we do in the family is a Gingerbread House decorating party with the kids. Everyone gets a Gingerbread House to take home and lots of fun is had by all. Each participant brings several bags of decorative items to share and the ingredients for enough Royal Icing for their own house, along with a board to build their house on. The host provides the dough (usually prebaked as the pieces need to sit overnight) for small gingerbread houses & refreshments, though some years we do a bring a dish kind of refreshment thing too.
I can only think of CONS...
The biggest con for me would be getting cookies from those one or two family members that do not clean their kitchen the way I WANT them to. Be in food service and being certified sometimes makes people I am a little too picky about cleanliness but have just one bad food item and you will wish you were picky too.
If you know your family is clean and conscientious about safe food handling practices then go with and and have fun !!!~!
: )
