Step by Step Guide for Cookies and Cocoa
When the kids were in those snug-as-a-bug-in-a-rug pajamas and when Thomas the Train was far superior to screen time, Cookies and Cocoa was born and it's still our family gift that keeps on giving. It’s something tangible, yet profoundly intangible to our neighbors. And every year, more of you are making this a tradition where you live and using it as a gift to your neighbors.
By popular demand, I’ve packaged it up for you with recipes, invitation template, and a step by step guide!
Step by Step Guide for Cookies and Cocoa
set the date.
Give yourself and neighbors 9-10 days out to make plans. My friend Jordyn invites others over for baking at her apartment. The Mccords do this on a Sunday afternoon. Sunday afternoons are best for an older crowd or families with young kids. A weekday evening works in our neighborhood after work and dinner. Single? Have roommates? Live in an apartment complex? Hosting and planning solo a bit too much? Consider having neighbors over to bake cookies together. Everyone leaves with a dozen or so. Make Cookies and Cocoa yours!
make personal invites to hand out.
What’s easy is an email and an Evite, but I’m going to ask you to do better. Print out our template below, let the kids color and decorate. Go fancy with your lettering, pull out all the stops. Homemade and heartfelt are becoming a thing of the past. Let’s keep it fresh and keep it personal and keep in touch.
deliver invites in person.
If they can meet you ahead of time, this helps. Take an afternoon stroll around the block and hand these out. Go around your complex after dinner and knock on the doors and slide them under if no one is at home. Nothing in your preparation time is wasted. Sunday evenings when everyone is typically at home getting ready for their week is a good time for us to hand out our invitations.
determine cookies.
I’m not a baker or a chef, but can stir a sweet cup of Swiss Miss and follow directions on any recipe. Each of us determines our cookie of choice.
ben: rolo wonders
elijah: cheese straws
sam: pumpkin cake cookies
kavita: chocolate chip cookies
asher: snickerdoodles with thick sugar crystals on top
me: oreo truffles
open the door.
In all of our years of hosting Cookies and Cocoa, no one has ever pointed out our decor, but they have all stayed longer and received more than they expected. That is our goal: for neighbors to feel seen and loved and that togetherness is a gift that was just unwrapped inside your home.
So tidy up the room where you will host, open the door, and put your focus on the people. Everything else will take care of itself.
whatever is left, fill tins with cookies and give to the service people.
No matter how many neighbors show up, every cookie is a gift. Box up any excess and gift them to your postal delivery person and your trash collector. They’ll love it!
This year, especially, our neighbors need to step into the warmth of a home, big or small, rural or urban, that smells of peace and hope. This will speak all year long that you are the home on the street that cares. Merry Christmas. The Pilgreens are raising our mugs of hot cocoa to you! Let us know when and where you’re doing Cookies and Cocoa this year!
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