A simple cookie swap

As readers may remember from previous years, our church usually plans a Christmas fellowship for ladies each year.  It has looked different ways over the years.  We've held it on an evening at church or at someone's home.  Last year we tried a brunch on a Saturday morning.  Some years we've done a craft project; for the past quite-a-few years we've had a Yankee swap.  Always there has been good food and fellowship.   But this year we didn't have time to plan a Christmas activity due to the fact that our ladies had a tremendously busy fall.   Four funerals were held at our church between the months of September and early December.  In every case the church ladies provided food for a family luncheon following the service.  We're a very small church and currently without a pastor (and hence, without a pastor's wife!) so all of the ladies had to pitch in and do what needed to be done.  That left no time (and little energy) for planning anything else.

One lady had the idea of hosting a simple cookie swap in her home and broached it to the rest of us.  Many could not come for one reason or another: illness, work, impending travel and so on.  We decided that we would go ahead with it anyway and I volunteered to host the swap at my home as it's a more central location.

The swap was last night and was a lot of fun, very relaxing.  We had about a dozen ladies and girls in attendance and we basically just ate yummy food and chatted.  There were yummy cold drinks like creamy eggnog, and cider.  And wonderful hot drinks -- mulled cider, and a cranberry orange hot drink that I just love making.  We had hearty appetizers -- cheese pizza, little  barbecue sausages, a cheese log and crackers, a hot pizza dip and tortilla chips,  seafood quiche squares and more. 

For the cookie swap itself we kept it very low-key.  No competition as to the fanciest or best-tasting cookies or whatever.  We just had everyone bring two dozen cookies and, after sharing about the cookie we chose to bring and the recipes, we simply filled containers with the cookies as desired, and everyone went home with a nice variety.  Below are some of the cookies.

Espresso-filled spritz cookies by Julie, mint chocolate and Christmas tree spritz cookies by Rhonda, no bakes by Kim, little jam tarts by Heather, cranberry orange shortbread by Carrie.  All delicious!

 I brought these jam-filled shortbread cookies.

All in all, a delightful evening and a form of Christmas hospitality I highly recommend!