Our regular subscribers are familiar with our monthly ‘Do It’ List. We believe it’s a simple, effective tool to help manage home and hearth so that school and Biblical hospitality can happen. Having a clean, well-organized home is not the end goal — it’s a means to achieve a more important end, and to do that with peace and joy.
You can download our newest ‘Do It’ List to help prepare yourself for the busy month of December. This month’s special task: the Holiday -INGs, such as shopping, wrapping, baking, mailing, hosting, etc. We invite you to check out last December’s ‘Do It’ List post for tips to help you incorporate these tasks into your routine of daily, weekly, and once-per-month responsibilities.
Christmas is the time we long to love on others … and when others are perhaps most open to being loved on! So let’s not squander this season! Let’s intentionally, deliberately, and prayerfully make the most of sharing the love of Jesus to those in our world.
Sometimes we give up before we get started because we make the plan too elaborate, too time consuming, and too expensive. But it’s possible to share the love and keep it simple! When it comes to giving a gift that communicates how much we care, perhaps nothing says “love” like a Christmas cookie!
Consider all the ways a Christmas cookie can be released with love:
- Add several to a disposable Christmas plate, cover with plastic wrap, and deliver to a neighbor.
- Put 2-3 cookies in a Christmas goodie bag, attach a tea bag, and you have a sweet gift for your child’s piano teacher.
- Place a dozen in a sealed plastic zipper bag, add a slice of bread (it will keep the cookies fresh during travel), pack well to avoid breakage, and mail off to a college student to enjoy during finals week.
- Drop off a plate of cookies in the church office to show your appreciation to the staff.
- If serving up a five-course meal to your neighbors seems impossible, why not invite them for coffee and cookies?
Ideas are endless when it comes to using cookies to spread Christmas love! And keeping a stash of Christmas cookies in the freezer means dessert is ready when needed or an impromptu giving opportunity arises. You might even have some left for your Christmas Day dessert table.
When hosting, sharing, and giving with cookies as the theme, it’s nice to have a good variety. Most of us just don’t have the time to bake 6-10 types of cookie, and let’s face it, there are enough items on your shopping list without adding all the ingredients for that many different recipes. But we can still achieve our cookie goal through cooperation and economies of scale … a Christmas baking lesson from Mr. Henry Ford, if you will.
The solution to our dilemma: the old-fashioned COOKIE EXCHANGE!
A cookie exchange is a social event in itself, but also offers a way to cooperate to meet our baking goals. Here’s how it works:
- Invite ten friends to bake 12 dozen cookies (or six dozen if you are less ambitious and don’t want to scare off your potential bakers). Because each person will be making only one recipe, the exchange takes advantage of doubling up, repetition, and familiarity.
- Collaborate to ensure there are no duplicate recipes.
- If each person brings six dozen cookies, they’ll be able to take home 5 1⁄2 dozen (66 cookies) after allowing six of each cookie for sampling during your evening together.
- On Cookie Exchange night, brew some coffee, set out several platters and small plates, and start some Christmas music.
- As friends arrive, ask each to empty their container of cookies onto plates and platters spread around your counter.
- Enjoy a time of fellowship as you sample one another’s cookies.
- Consider preparing a Christmas devotional to share with your friends.
- Ask your friends to share ideas for how the cookies can be used to share the love of Christ.
- Pray over the cookies — asking God to bless these gifts to communicate His love and open the door to gospel conversations.
- Each person uses their empty container to load up the variety of cookies they will take home.
A cookie exchange is a fun and efficient way to complete our holiday baking. Hopefully, your time together has also spurred your friends on to love on others, as well. And if you need some new recipe ideas, watch for next Tuesday’s post — each of our blog contributors will be sharing a family favorite cookie recipe! 
How about it? Could a Christmas Cookie Exchange work for you? Would you consider using your baking skills to share the sweet love of Jesus this Christmas? We’ve created printable invitations to give to friends (and a graphic you can use to send e-invitations through email or Facebook, if paperless is more your style). If you’re all in, we would love to see pics! Please share them on our Facebook or Instagram page.
Happy baking and cookie sharing to all … and we pray you have a blessed December as you prepare to celebrate the birth of our Lord!
Click to download your ‘Do It’ List or Cookie Exchange invitations!
December 2019 BLANK ‘Do It’ List
Cookie Exchange - Printable Invitations
Cookie Exchange - Graphic for E-Invites
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