One of my favorite Holiday traditions is hosting a cookie exchange. Back in Connecticut my mother and I hosted a mother daughter cookie exchange for several years. It was always a lovely time to catch up with friends before the holidays and it helped anyone who was having company over to have a large plate of assorted cookies to bring home.

Now that I’m living out in California, I decided it would be fun to start my own cookie exchange tradition. I invited a few of my nearest and dearest to swap some cookies and get in the holiday spirit!

Since this party required bringing something I made sure to send out an invite with plenty of head notice and the requested amount of cookies.

On the day of the cookie exchange I prepared a few brunchy bites and a few signature cocktails to sip on.

In my experience these parties are a lot like cocktail parties. You want to make sure the food you serve can easily be eaten with one hand and doesn’t require utensils. I decided on making frittatas in muffin pans, bite sized cinnamon rolls, and croissants. One of my guests brought Bagel bites and cream cheese for everyone to enjoy as well. It was such a thoughtful addition to the spread I had prepared.

For the drinks, nothing says winter to me more than hot chocolate and peppermint schnapps. I had a crockpot full of hot chocolate with a ladle on the side so guests could add as much hot chocolate, schnapps, or snowflake shaped marshmallows as their hearts desired. For a more sophisticated alternative I had a pomegranate cranberry mix guests could add to their prosecco. I also had a small bowl for people too add cranberries and pomegranate seeds to their drinks for a little flair.

Guests mingled and swapped cookies at their leisure. It was a wonderful day to set the mood for the holiday spirit! To help you get started on your own holiday cookie exchange I’ve included my playlist below!

Enjoy!!