Instead of the usual ladies' Christams cookie exchange, I decided to get the whole family involved in the cookie exchange by turning it into a contest.

About three weeks before the party, I send out the invitations to family and friends. The invitation clearly states that each family is to bring the prepared dough for their cookies when they come to the party and a container to store their cookies in at the end of the party.

When the families arrive, they are greeted to the sounds of Christmas music and the smell of hot apple cider simmering. Munchies and light finger foods are laid out for the guests to eat as they mingle with the others.

While the guests are busy eating and chatting, one family at a time bakes their batch of cookies then, when they are finished, another family takes over in the kitchen. You will need to remember this when you are considering how many people to invite!

Once all the baking is done, a few samples of each cookie are placed on platters that will be judged by appointed family and friends (they can't vote for their own!).

Once a winner is declared, they receive the golden roller pin (a spray-painted wooden pin)as their trophy that is theirs to keep until the following year when they need to bring it back for the new winners.

Every family receives a gift to recognize their honorable contributions. Then, every family goes around the goody table to pick out cookies that they will be bringing home at the end of the day for their own eating pleasure during the holidays.