When dreaming of the Holiday Season, most of us have images of busy shopping malls, Christmas trees and presents dancing in our heads. For me, I start dreaming of all the festive baking! Those cookies, squares, cheesecakes and chocolates are irresistible during the Holidays. There’s nothing quite like enjoying a mug of hot cocoa and freshly baked cookies on a cold winter day. A Holiday baking party is a fun theme for all ages! Do you teach your kids about giving back to others this time of year? There are several ways you can turn this theme into an opportunity to help your community.
Setting the scene
Traditional Holiday colors include red, green and gold - but the sky’s the limit for this baking party! Some easy decorating items include the baking supplies themselves like rolling pins, plastic placemats, cookie cutters, sprinkles, bowls of brightly colored icing and a variety of candy dishes.
You could also personalize some baking accessories that guests could use at the party, then take home as favors. Items could be personalized with stitched monograms or iron-on images.
Ideas include:
Aprons
Chef hats
Tea towels
Baking
Do you have a special Holiday baking tradition like making your grandma’s secret sugar cookie recipe? Baking parties can be filled with a variety of treats like cookies and squares.
Here are some fun ideas for kids:
Mini gingerbread houses made with graham crackers and a variety of candies for decorating
Gingerbread men cookies with icing and candy decorations
Decorate cookies that could be turned into holiday ornaments
A basic brownie mix in individual-serving baking tins where kids could add their own mix-ins
Cookies or cupcakes with a variety of icing colors and candies for decorating
You could bake the treats ahead of time and just have kids help with the decorating portion, or you could let the kids help mix, roll out the dough and use the cookie cutters. While the treats are baking and cooling, you may want to plan an activity to entertain the kids like watching a Holiday movie.
Don’t forget about your guests with allergies. If you know about the allergies before the party, there are plenty of ways you can make the party safe for everyone including nut-free baking mixes and candies.
You may want to set a ‘tastings’ time so your cookies and candies don’t disappear as soon as they are set on the table. You can set aside a time for tasting with holiday-themed plates and hot chocolate.
Giving back
Baking parties are a great way to fill your freezer with delicious treats, but you could also turn this party into an opportunity to give back to your community.
Some fun ideas include:
Host a bake sale where your customers are your friends and family. The kids could choose a charity to donate the money to.
Kellogg’s has an annual program called Treats for Toys where you can make toy-shaped treats out of Rice Krispies, share a picture of your creation using a special hashtag on social media, then a donation is given to the Salvation Army to go toward toys for less fortunate children. For more information, visit ricekrispies.ca.
Bake treats to give away as gifts to friends and family or even a local shelter. You could package the cookies in small gift boxes and include a holiday card with each.
Favors
If you want to send your guests home with a small favor in addition to all that holiday baking, some fun ideas include:
Dry cookie mix ingredients layered in a jar with baking instructions
Hot chocolate mix and mugs
Cookie cutters
Kids’ cookbook or your favorite cookie recipe
I hope your holidays are filled with love, laughter and lots of cookies!
Cheryl is a married mother of one. She is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) with a strong interest in parties and event planning. She is the owner and writer for Moms & Munchkins (momsandmunchkins.ca), which is filled with ideas for family fun, activities for kids, party ideas, party planning tips, holiday fun, moms’ night out ideas and more.
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