Hi Robin! Thanks to you and your web site, my 4th annual cookie exchange was very enjoyable. My theme was inspired by your 2008 Cookie Exchange - Poinsettias. The color scheme was red and gold and the tone was elegance. I didn’t challenge anyone to dress using poinsettias but Judy Troendle and her daughter, Brenda, and granddaughter, Ashley, looked darling with poinsettias in their hair.

Every year when my guests arrive, after they put their cookies on the cookie table, they start working on a little craft project. This year we all made our own elegant name tags.

We took a group photo around the cookie table and then voted for our favorites before we were seated at the elegantly set dinner table. Pat Williams’ granddaughters, Carissa and Keli, served the 3 courses: first a Citrus Fruit cup, then Lobster Bisque or Broccoli Cheddar Soup, and finally a Gingerbread Cupcake, wrapped and topped with poinsettias. Everyone received Christmas "popper" and a glittery red votive for a favor.

The Survivor-style auction using Robin’s funny money was so much fun. The gals loved having a million of those “handsome” dollars. I had the auction items wrapped in red and gold and gave vague hints about what was in each package before the auction began. There were plenty of packages and everyone ended up with at last one, except my helper, Carissa. I gave her the prize I had set aside in case there was someone who didn’t win anything. She also got a stocking of presents as a thank you gift.

Then I announced the winners of our contests: Most Festive Cookie…Judy Troendle won the Elegant Cookie Jar for her Poinsettia sugar cookies. She has won this prize all four years – always a cookie jar. She already knows what she is going to do next year.

Most Festive Cookie Display…Judy T. also won this prize for her clever pot of Poinsettias. Her prize was an LED candle and a Christmas picture frame. Most Festively Dressed Person was Carol Ann Moore - again this year - in a beautiful sweater with Santa and his reindeer (which turns out to be our theme for next year). She won a red scarf and a poinsettia bracelet. I was presented with a darling cookie cutter Christmas tree as a thank you gift for hosting the cookie exchange each year. I love it!!

This was the first year I gave a prize to the first person to turn in recipe. Brenda Troendle won the Hallmark Season’s Treatings ornament for 2009. I make a recipe book ahead of time to give out at the Cookie Exchange. This year I borrowed an idea from one of the contributors to the photo gallery on your web site. I put the recipes in a photo album. My husband, Ken, printed out the group photo and put a copy in each recipe album. He also tallied all the votes and washed all the dishes. What a guy!!!

We listened to George Strait’s "Sugar Cookie" song while we went around the table gathering our cookies. Thanks, Robin, for rounding up the name of that song.

Other guests were Sylvia Guerrero, Judy McLaughlin, and Dorris Skrinde. Cindy Ince was ill but sent cookies. We had 3 kinds of Sugar Cookies, Biscotti, Spritz Wreaths, Chocolate Chip Reindeer, Cathedral, Cowboy, Coconut Crisp, Pinwheel and Pineapple Cookies. We are all looking forward to the 2010 exchange. I’m sure you will inspire me again!