I had my cookie party on Dec.16th. Like you described, my party attendance is bountiful each year.This year I had to keep adding to the large table with a piano bench and another little end table just to fit all the cookies! The room I used this year for the exchange made like a traffic jam too! 20 of my friends attended (and 1 little baby man).

I did a Gingerbread Man theme. My honey found me a huge piece of thick cardboard and after cutting out a huge gingerbread man, put a stand on it where it stood inside the doorway as people arrived. I had decorated it with felt and everyone, individually, had their picture taken with the gingerbread man! That is me standing next to finished "man"!

All gifts I gave out were of gingerbread theme too, including the award for "Best cookie that was the most festive", won by Larissa, hers was a stained glass jam type of sugar cookie; "Best cookie that looks like it tastes good" won by Diane, was a chocolate caramel filled cookie; and "Best gingerbread theme" won by Raylene,hers were all these little spice mice cookies surrounding a little house with a mouse on top of the house.

Everyones cookies were flavorful and decorated beautifully though! I made my usual minestrone soup and we had champagne too. I didn't do the "left/right"game this year for the ornament swap to most disappointment. I did another game which got sort of confusing with taking of another ornament one would rather have. So...think I'll go back to left/right! I did raffles this year with people having gotten tickets for various things, it was fast and fun I think everyone liked it.

Your site is great for ideas--how I got my inspiration for the theme because I'd found a gingerbread man poem on the site last year from someone who also sent in pics--want to give credit where it's due! Funny, though, with this theme, I'm the only one that made a gingerbread type of cookie and they weren't even cut-out gingerbread!

Everyone said they had a wonderful time and I know I sure did and always do putting it together and looking forward to this wonderful tradition!

Thanks for all you do for the website and Happy New Year from Reno, Nevada!