Dear Robin,

My wonderful mom and aunt just hosted what I believe was their 7th Annual Cookie Exchange this past holiday season. After taking a year off, we decided the holidays just weren't the same without it and begged them to bring it back!

This year's Exchange brought together a group of 18 friends and family members. Each woman brought a yummy tray of cookies as you can see from our pictures. We started the evening with two games: Guess the Ingredient and Count the M&Ms. I actually won the Guess the Ingredient and came home with a giant gingerbread cookie jar, which was just perfect for my new home!

Next, everyone enjoyed a home-cooked Italian dinner and dessert. Finally, it was cookie time. Everyone was so excited to pack their cookies, eager to try each one out. Our husbands and boyfriends are lucky we didn't eat them all in the car ride home... they were that good! As everyone gathered to leave, we were given a cookie cutout ornament in the shape of either a gingerbread man or a rocking horse. It was such a great start to our holidays.

My mom and aunt are already planning next year's event. It really is one of the highlights of our season! Thank you so much for your tips and tricks.

See you next year!

Nicole Smith

writing on behalf of Judi Zych and Jeanine Smith

Itasca, Illinois