Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Even without the complicated factor of a restricted diet, I'm not a huge fan of cookie swaps. I like to make the cookies that I like to make and my family likes to eat at the holiday time. All that baking leaves me with plenty of sweets for every holiday visitor (and more!) who come through our house at this special time of year. Add to that the need for cookies that meet my family's special needs, and it makes the tradition of a cookie swap not so inviting. But, I'm no Scrooge, and I love any opportunity to revel in the holiday spirit. Maybe because I live in a dark and cold climate, but I adore the sparkly brightness of the holiday season. What's a gal to do? Create a new tradition, of course!

This year, we decided to see if anyone wanted to get together for a craft swap. We thought we'd get five or six friends together, each person would bring several handmade gifts, and then we'd swap with each other and end up with a variety of gifts that none of us could have created on her own. Five or six quickly snowballed to an invitation list of over 40 interested ladies! We certainly can't have it in my living room, so we've moved the plan to a local restaurant and limited everyone to bringing 10 gifts each. The restaurant is excited for the business, we're all excited to get a variety of gifts for a very affordable price, and we still get the joyful cameraderie that a cookie swap would have provided, but without the headache!

As many of you know, it is often the best plan to take charge of a celebration to ensure that it is safe and inclusive. This is just one idea of how to take charge in a way that provides lots of fun for all!

Happy Cooking!

Kim and Megan

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1 comment:

  1. Great idea for the holidays. Cookie swaps don't work so well with food allergies, but this is a fun alternative.

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