One of my favorite holiday traditions is baking cookies. Ever since I was little, I remember spending time in the kitchen with my Mom or Grandma, but over the years, our Christmas cookie tradition grew and now is an annual family event. Below is a list of dos and don’ts that may be helpful if you plan to host a cookie baking event.
1. Pick a date early.– Weekends quickly fill up as Christmas approaches, so we always try to put a date on the calendar by the beginning of November.
Peanut butter blossoms, iced sugar cookies, cutout cookies, and oatmeal M&M cookies! Yum!
2. Prep in advance.– One of the major changes this year was to invite each family to bring their favorite pre-mixed cookie dough (I prepared my grandma’s recipe for cut-out cookies). In years past, we spent the first few hours prepping the dough, and by the time everything was ready, the kids had already lost interest. This year we decided to prepare all of the dough in advance which gave us more time to focus our energy on baking and decorating the cookies.
3. Get festive! – Every year my Dad wears the same silly pink apron and the kids think it’s absolutely hysterical! (Hint: Look for aprons at the end of the season and keep them for the following year.) My Mom tries to buy a variety of aprons so that everyone is able to wear an apron that fits their taste. The kids wore light-up aprons this year which only added to their excitement about the cookie baking event. 
4. Have fun!– Some of our cookies were COVERED in sprinkles while others seemed to have missed the decorating step all together. It’s important to keep in mind that each child has their own idea of “decorating” so just embrace the unique design of each cookie. 
5. Be flexible!– Let’s face it, kids loose interest pretty quickly so don’t worry if they’re more interested in playing a game in the neighboring room. Be flexible….it’s supposed to be a fun day to spend with your family! After all, are you really going to miss an extra dozen cookies or are you going to remember all of the new memories you created as a family?!
What are some of your family traditions? Do you like to bake cookies or just enjoy the finished product?
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