The idea came about because my sister used to make oodles of cookies and give them to all of us at Christmas, but I thought it would be more fun to make them all together! Last year I made it a girls and kids thing. The guys got mad and my brother came anyway. So, this year, everyone was invited :)
So now to the important stuff, the planning. Here was my list of to dos:
- Pick a date: Check! (December 11th)
- Send out the Evite: Check!
- Choose a menu: Check! (Below)
- Go grocery shopping: Check!
- Clean the first floor: Will be done throughout the week- but we have a good jump start from our mega clean last weekend
- Make 4 batches of sugar cookie dough: Friday Night
- Get all the tables set up for lunch and cookie decorating: Friday Night
- Clean sweep of the house: Saturday Morning
- Bake first couple rounds of cookies: Saturday Morning (this is to help with the lull we had last year since the kids were decorating so fast!)
I like to serve lunch to give our stomachs a nice non-sugary base before we start "decorating" the cookies which we all know turns into a lot of cookie eating! My immediate family (including siblings, spouses and kids) is 24. Yes. 24. So lunch is simple as it's not the main focus.
SANDWICH STATION:
- Deli Oven Roasted Turkey & Honey Ham
- Swiss and Colby Jack Cheese Slices
- Bacon
- Lettuce and Tomato
- Mustard and Mayo
- Whole Wheat and Honey White Bread
- Romaine Lettuce
- Diced Tomato
- Diced Cucumber
- Cheddar Cheese
- Sliced Mushrooms
- Green Onion
- Croutons
- Ranch & Homemade Italian Dressing
DRINK STATION:
- Hot Chocolate Packets with Hot Water
- Cold Apple Cider
- Regular & Diet Soda
- Ice Water
Are you hosting any holiday parties this year? If not, it's still not too late! Part of the reason I love this party is that none of my siblings (or myself for that matter) are rushing to make to the in-laws that day. We just get to spend some quality time together and make a mess while we're at it! Sometimes the casual parties are the most fun. Gather up your family or friends and enjoy the season! But remember, casual =/= no planning. C'mon that's the fun part!
I love seeing how you set up your Cookie decorating party. I've been wanting to do this also so it is neat to see how it works for 20 people. Thanks for posting:)
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