Neighborhood Holiday Cookie Exchange

Our living room ready for our holiday party.

When Jeff and I were looking for neighborhoods to buy a house, we had a vision of what type of community we wanted. We wanted a place where neighbors knew each other, kids were free to play outside, we could walk to stores and cafes, the trees were old, and the houses had some architectural character. Sometimes we thought it was too Norman Rockwell of a dream, but we think we actually found it in Highland Park in Saint Paul.

Our first summer here, our next door neighbors organized a block party. We met a lot of neighbors there and continued to meet more while they walked their dogs past our house while we worked on outside projects. But once the weather got cold, we realized how isolated we all became. So we came up with an idea to get the block together during the winter. And so was born the Neighborhood Holiday Cookie Exchange! Last year's party was so successful that we did it again this year!

Our "cookie" contribution this year. (I was a little short on time, so I couldn't make actual cookies this time around.)

Here's how it works:

• Each guest makes a batch of cookies to bring to the party.
  
• At the party, all of the cookies are put on a table. People can sample them along with other hors d'oeuvres during the party.
• Before guests leave, they fill a platter/plate/tin/ziploc bag with a variety of cookies from the table.
• The idea is that they leave with as many cookies as they came with, just more of a variety.
  
• Then they will have lots of cookies for the holiday season without having to spend tons of time baking.

Hors d'oeuvres for the party guests. There was also a drink table in the kitchen.

I also made candy cane reindeer for the kids that came to the party. They were a hit!

I set up this small craft table to keep kids busy. They made silly glasses.

Both years that we have done this, we ended up with two extra platters of cookies. (I guess that is one of the perks of hosting the party.) We have brought them to work and to family gatherings, so that we don't end up eating all of them ourselves.

The Holiday Cookie Exchange is quickly becoming a tradition in our neighborhood! Many neighbors have thanked us for starting this. It is a great excuse to get out of the house in the cold winter and get to know the people around us. Several families have also offered to host the party in the future. I think next year we will begin to pass the torch and have other people host. I'm glad that we contributed to making our neighborhood more of a community!