Two Weeks Ahead:

• Invite all your friends and explain the fundamentals of the cookie exchange. Make sure each person understands that they only have to make one kind of cookie for each member.
• When they RSVP, have them let you know what kind of cookie they're bringing or assign them a cookie recipe from our list of favorites - this will help prevent duplicates.
• Remind each guest to also bring copies of their cookie recipe.

One Week Ahead:

• Confirm how many people are coming and inform your guests how many cookies each person will need to bring.
• To add a festive feel to your party, choose some holiday music to play and decorate your home.

Three Days Ahead:

• Pick up your ingredients and all your party favors don't forget the refreshments!
• Tidy up your home, so that all you have to do on the day of the party is just have fun.

A Day or Two Ahead:

• Bake your own cookies and store them in airtight containers.
• Remind your friends to bring extra containers in order to take their goodies home.
• Print out copies of your recipes and also print out some gift tags to use as labels for all the different cookies.
• Spread a festive table cloth and then set the table with large platters, trays or even clean boxes. This will make it easy for your guests to display their baked goods.

An Hour Before:

• Put out refreshments, and put on some music.
• Display your cookies on the table with copies of the recipe nearby.
• Set out pens and gift tags - this allows your guests to create labels for their cookies.
• Have some extra containers or plastic bags handy - just in case someone forgets to bring one.

Party Time:

• As guests arrive, show them where to place their cookies and copies of their recipes, and then ask them to make a label.
• It's party time! Enjoy the refreshments, each other's company, and some great conversation.
• When everybody is ready, each person takes their empty containers to the display table to pick up their share of the cookies - either a dozen or a 1/2 dozen per each guest.