DIY Christmas Cookie Decorating Party

I've been decorating Christmas cookies with my Grandma since I can remember. She brings over a huge roll of dough and all her cookie baking provisions (ex. rolling pins, cutting board, sprinkles, etc.). My siblings and I take turns powdering the cutting board with a snow-like sprinkling of flour and Grandma rolls out a ball of dough (at least the small amount of dough she can get her hands on before my older brother devours it raw). Next comes the cookie cutting operation. This step usually ends with one of us groaning as we lift up the Christmas tree cutter only to find the star was cut off and hopelessly left behind in the mold. Or it ends with my youngest brother building an army of miniature gingerbread men -- he means business when it comes to baking.

My siblings and I each have our very own baking sheet and once all of the cookies have been molded into a holiday shape, it is time for decoration! This is my favorite part of the cookie baking process because my sister and I can spend hours meticulously dropping sprinkles into each gingerbread man's buttons, giving a light sprinkling of white sugar to each snowflake, and even powdering the rosey cheeks of Santa's face. All the while my brothers splatter on a heap of plain white sugar to the top of each cookie, claiming the taste is better than the red hot candies and tooth-breaking silver metallic sprinkles that we like to use for creative effect. To each his own, I guess, in the great cookie-baking-debate of our household, but either way, cookie decorating is one of my favorite Christmas traditions.

This year, I decided to bring some of my friends in on the action and we had our very own Christmas cookie decorating party, complete with a White Christmas viewing. Here's some of the decor that I created for the party...

Yarn Christmas Tree Table Decor

Supplies: Christmas colored yarn, fabric glue,  & styrofoam cones (and A LOT of patience)

Step 1: Spread fabric glue around styrofoam surface.

Step 2: Start attaching the end of your yarn to the bottom edge of the cone. Wind yarn tightly around the cone.

Step 3: Add glue section by section to prevent the glue from drying too fast. Continue wrapping the yarn above each layer and smoothing it down to make sure it is secured.

Step 4: Wrap the yarn in a circular pattern on the top of the cone as well. Once you get to the end, trim the end of the yarn and make sure you use a lot of glue for the end!

Gingerbread Men Place Cards

Supplies: Polymer clay (brown, red, white, and green), gingerbread man cookie cutter, wire, rolling pin, & wax paper.

Step 1: Roll brown clay flat with a rolling pin like cookie dough. The clay should be about 1/4 in thick.

Step 2: Stamp the clay with the gingerbread cookie cutter. Remove all excess clay and smooth the edges.

Step 3: Roll colored clay into long thin rolls or balls to create gingerbread man features and accessories. Press the additions into the brown clay to hold in place.

Step 4: Bend two small loops with wire. I wrapped the wire around a pencil to create the circle loops. These two loops should be as close together as possible.

Step 5: Trim the wire down so it is only about 1/2 in long after the loops. Stick the straight pointed end into the top of the gingerbread man's head.

Step 6: Place gingerbread men on a baking sheet and bake clay according to package instructions until hardened.

Step 7: Let the gingerbread men cool for several hours. Once cooled, create paper name cards and slip the paper between the two loops in the wire.

Hopefully you can use these ideas to start your very own Christmas cookie decorating tradition! Or even just use the gingerbread name cards to point Santa in the right direction of his cookie & milk Christmas eve place setting. Are you a detail-oriented cookie stylist or a "more is more" kind of decorator?

Cheers! - Rachael