Vicki Baker
There is nothing more fun than a home full of friends around the holidays. Because everyone loves cookies this time of year, in place of our monthly Bunco game, we celebrated the season with our annual cookie exchange. For those unacquainted with the concept, a cookie exchange is essentially a potluck based on trading cookies. Everyone was told to get out the cookie trays, tie on those aprons, and start baking delightful treats that would get everyone in the Ho Ho Ho holiday mood.
To properly execute our cookie exchange, everyone baked batches and batches of cookies, bars, or candy, then brought them on huge platters. But before the swap began, we all enjoyed a “Friendship Salad” lunch buffet. The story goes that the big bowls of salad greens represent the big group of friends, and each topping represents each friend individually. Hosts Vicki Baker and Susan Hebert supplied the salad greens, and all the others contributed a variety of toppings, including ham cubes, cheeses, diced veggies, nuts, tomatoes, chopped eggs, dried fruit, and tons more.
After lunch, the swapping began. There were cookies, cookies, cookies everywhere, with the counter laden with hundreds of treats! The treats were elaborate and simple, decorated and plain, gooey and crispy. No two batches were the same, and the variety was wonderful. During the exchange, everyone took several cookies from each plate as the room filled with laughter, warmth, and chatty conversations.
To top off the afternoon, everyone enjoyed a hilarious game of One-Handed Gift Wrap. Teams of three (with one hand tied behind their backs) were challenged to wrap a package with a gift, box, ribbon, bow, and gift tag. The teams competed aggressively, and in the end, there was one declared winner. But despite being on the winning team, everyone left with their containers brimming with cookies, their bellies full, and their spirits high!