Tiny Christmas elves turned my kitchen into Santa’s workshop earlier this week when they decorated several hundred holiday sugar cookies and gingerbread people.

Every year they arrive; perhaps it’s the rocking Christmas music that attracts them, or the long kitchen table laden with pots of brightly colored buttercream frosting, sprinkles, edible glitter, red hots and whimsical decorations. Then again, it could be the delicious trays of cookies waiting for their magic.

As head elf, I crank up the holiday spirit with Santa hats, aprons and festive party favors. Nothing breaks the ice like blinking necklaces of colored lights and silly, flashing Rudolf noses to remind the children of their friend at the North Pole.

Sammy and Jackson got into the party spirit dressed as elves. They selected their cookies, swiped their mini spatulas in the black frosting and immediately started eating it. In a flash, both boys were giggling and displaying their black tongues for all to see as the rest of the guests—young and old—got in on the silly fun.

The joy of cookie decorating is infectious; I’m always delighted when the adults replace the elves at the work table as they run off to play. Our oldest guest (85 years young!) produced three wildly colored cookies that we hung on the kitchen cookie tree.

Beyond Wonderful intern Theo Andersen donned a full Santa suit—with cool black shades—and listened to each child’s Christmas list. Ho-ho-ho! Did you know that this Santa is always hungry and joyfully accepts cookies from all?

To keep the elf energy up and prevent a sugar overdose, I set out lots of savory snacks on a low table for easy access. Deli meats like salami and ham are always popular. Add some cheese, bread and crackers with fresh fruit and veggies, a few drinks and you’re set. This time I included black olives for the littler kids.

After a few hours, the elves of all ages wound down and were ready to transport their cookies home. I find that inexpensive, different-sized cardboard gift boxes with tissue paper do the job well. Close each with a festive sticker to make it feel special.

This year I was reminded, as always, that kids are magic—especially when surrounded by so much sugar and creativity. Take your cue from them, and your own cookie party is sure to be sweet success.

Read “Cookies… and Just a Touch of Chaos” for lots of tips on how to organize your own holiday cookie decorating party.

Get printable copies of Sugar Cookies and Gingerbread　Cookies for easy reference.

Print our illustrated, step-by-step instruction on How To Roll Dough.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 14th, 2009 at 3:12 pm and is filed under Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.