A Brief History of Cookies

Wheee!!! It’s time to talk cookie exchange again! 

     (Smile if you like talking about cookies.)

If all you want to know is how to sign up for the exchange, then scroll straight to the baker at the bottom of the post. Meanwhile, I’m going to address the question Olivia lobbed back at me.

Yes, please tell me the story of how the great cookie exchange got started! 

It’s a simple story. I actually thought about doing one the very first Christmas that I was blogging but it felt too ambitious, not to mention “forward” for a nebbishy noob. So I left it - but the next holiday season found the idea still niggling at the back of my mind. It just felt like we needed a vehicle to expand the ways in which we bonded. While a lot of us started our blogs for a single purpose, we are all multi-faceted… and I wanted to see the other facets!

I mentioned my idea while chatting with a then-blogging chum (shout out to Striving For Peace, wherever you are now!) and she encouraged me to Just Do It! - and even offered to give me a hand with getting the word out. (Two newish, largely-unknown blogheads being better than one.)

So, I posted an invitation, crossed my fingers, and sat back to see what would happen. My rule of thumb throughout the years has been that as long as I get six people to join in, we’ll go forward… but I have to admit that I’ve been delighted to hit double-digits every time so far. :-D Participation has fluctuated from year to year but there’s a fairly solid core of stalwart regulars who keep us going strong.

Over the years, we’ve outgrown the cookie container and expanded into candies, cakes, rolls, snacks, appetizers, drinks, liqueurs, and roasts. Indeed, were I blessed with foresight, I would have named this event The Great Online Holiday Goodie Exchange Extravaganza right from the start. But I didn’t, and I can’t be bothered to change it now, so there you go.

The event is open to any blogger who wants to play along. 

(With this caveat: it was started by a then-kinky blogger - and most of the crowd has some sort of connection to kink. You may find some of the bloggers to be somewhat, ummm… “cheeky”... in their approach. *ahem* If you’re not comfortable being associated with that, then just read and drool from the sidelines - I completely understand.)

But… if you’re feeling reckless (and/or peckish) then please do sign up to join us!

The date for this year’s increasingly inaccurately named 
         Great Online Cookie Exchange Extravaganza 
                  is Thursday, December 7th.

The deadline to sign up is noon on Tuesday, December 5th. (To allow for time to assemble and distribute the participant list that people will add to their posts.)

The rules for participating are simple:

         On Dec. 7th - post a recipe for any holiday goodie. 

That’s it for rules.  

         *dusts off hands*

Your recipe doesn’t have to be for a cookie.

Nor do you even need to sign up to join us - you’ll just be doing so in anonymity if you don’t.

To sign up:

         Email me by noon on Dec 5th.  

What I need:

         Your screen name and the URL of your blog. 

         (OK, I also need your email address but I’ll have that if you email, right?)

                  If I don’t get those 3 things, you won’t make the participant list. 

                  (Sorry, but I’m done with chasing people.)

That’s it, tho’.

An email, three details, and one post... and a whole lotta fun will be yours.

And ours. ;-D

On your mark, get set..., BAKE!