Not Your Mama's Cookie Exchange...

Peanut Butter Reindeer Cookies by moi. What they lack in flavor, they make up for in looks.

For the past seven years, Jeni and Lori have hosted an Annual Cookie Exchange.

What draws us to this annual event is...

• The Company: It's always great getting together with fun, intelligent and interesting women...

Adrian & Jeni

Christie & Lori

Maryanne, Chrissy & Cheyenne

• The Martinis: The signature drinks this year were ...The Pomegranate Martini & The Tropical Breeze
• The Food: Lori's Famous Pigs-in-a-Blanket, Jeni's Chicken Nuggets, Someone's Sinful Cheese dip - just to name a few.
• The Ornaments: Every year we are asked to bring an ornament and we participate in a "Dirty Santa". It's called that because these fun, intelligent and interesting women are also 'cut-throat' when it comes to getting the ornament of their choice. 
  Dirty Santa Instructions
  1. Everyone who brings an ornament is asked to choose a number by picking one out of a bowl.
  2. The person who has chosen #1 is the first to choose an ornament. They may keep it or choose a different one.
  3. The sorry bitch person who has chosen #2 may take #1's ornament away from her. This forces #1 to choose another ornament.
  4. The participant who has chosen #3 may choose to rip off take #1 or #2's ornament from them, thus causing the empty handed number holder to choose another ornament.
  5. The same ornament can only be transferred 3 times and then it is no longer available for stealing..

Melissa

Debbie

So, when I overheard a couple of  'ornament-hunters' strategizing their plan to snap up the ornament of their choice it came as no surprise to me...

Cut-throat ornament-hunters. You know who you are.

The Cookie Exchange:

Everyone brought six dozen of the same type of cookie and separated them into three packages of two dozen cookies each. All cookie-exchangers chose a number which designated their turn to choose a cookie package.Everyone went home with 6 dozen assorted cookies.

Jeni's chocolate treats

Chocolate-covered pretzels

The Annual Cookie Exchange

Each year at Holiday Time, Lori & Jeni host an annual Christmas cookie exchange for their friends and acquaintances. The lure, you may ask? A signature martini (or two), wonderful appetizers and the opportunity to see everyone again..

So, our instructions are to bake six dozen of the same cookies. Then we are to divide them up into three separate containers and take them to the party! Voila! Sounds easy enough, but when you’re not much of a cookie-baker (see Hello Cupcake!) the assignment is daunting.

Kathy (see friend) and I attend this event faithfully every year and really enjoy seeing every one again, but cookie-bakers – we’re not.

The first year of the exchange, Kathy politely asked if she could bring cake (hoping to pick three cakes up on the way to the party)… “No, we want cookies” was the cookie exchange hostesses response.

The second year of the exchange, Kathy asked if she could bring meat… “No, we want cookies.” the inflexible cookie exchange hostesses said.
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The third year we put our heads together and called a bakery. Our instructions were clear… “Please place the cookies in unmarked packages” We were busted at the cookie exchange when someone noticed the teensy gold bakery sticker on the inside of the box.

The fourth year, we bribed a cookie-baking friend to complete our assignment for us. Maryanne would have gladly done it without the bribe but we didn’t feel right about that so Kathy repaid her with a lasagna casserole and I, with a pot roast.

This year, I will not be able to attend but next year I have a ‘no-bake’ cookie recipe that I plan on using. It just requires assembly.

"Burger Cookies"