cookies!!!

This past Sunday afternoon I had a packed out little house with the guests all bringing in tray after tray of fabulous Christmas cookies. I had ten friends this year join me for my 4th annual Christmas cookie exchange and it was awesome!

I made these cute little Santa Suit invitations (yet another pinterest idea). I set up an assembly line on the dining room table and whipped them out rather quickly. Straight strips of paper, square and circle punches, and an edge punch. I didn't emboss or make them too fancy because,
1.) I don't have an embossing thing-a-ma-jig, and
2.) I was pressed for time and needed to get them in the mail.
I do send out a facebook save-the-date message a few weeks ahead of time, but the invitation lists all the specifics about what to bring. In case you're wondering, I have them bring 5 dozen of their cookie. And an appetizer. Because we have to eat real food first ;)

I reused my centerpiece from the ladies' luncheon the week before and here's the table all decked out with Christmas yumminess.

We had oatmeal fudge bars, peanut butter blossoms, almond joy cookies, no bakes, powdered sugar almond crescents, an almond shortbread, a caramel-y/pretzel-y/chocolate-y bar, and these cute peanut butter melty snowmen. Can cookies get any cuter than this, people? I think not.

I loved these Oreo truffles. Basically, a bag of Oreos crushed in the food processor, add in a block of cream cheese, roll into balls, dip in white chocolate, and sprinkle candy cane pieces on top. I can't even begin to tell you how good these things are.

After appetizers and chit chat, we get down to the serious business. . . dividing up the cookies. We just circle around the table and fill our Rubbermaid containers. We try to keep the fighting and nail gauging to a minimum!

It's a super fun time and it forces me to clean my house and get the decorations out, and when it's all done, I get a freezer full of all different sorts of cookies.

Group shot!

And a yearly tradition shot. . .

My trusty friend, Barbara, wasn't with us this year because she was enjoying Christmas in New York City with her son, daughter-in-law, and two cute grandkids. Lucky duck. As you can tell, she was missed. And so was her purple sweater :)