Christmas Cookie Exchange Party
Love Christmas cookies but don't want to do all that baking? Then host a cookie swap. The rules are simple: bake a half dozen or full dozen of the same cookies for each guest attending -- plus an extra dozen to set out at the actual party for sampling. This means you only have to buy one type of ingredients for one type of cookie -- and once you get the hang of the mixing, baking and decorating, they'll go pretty quickly. The most important part of any good cookie exchange is the planning. Set a guest list of 10-15 people and make sure everyone RSVP's so everyone knows how many people to plan for. Make sure that everyone chooses a different type of cookie, so you don't end up with 6 batches of chocolate chips (though who would complain, really?). You might even make it mandatory that they be "Christmas" cookies and decorated as such. And make sure everyone brings a container to haul all their cookies home in. It's also nice to stick a copy of your cookie recipe in with each batch of cookies you bring so the recipient can make more if they love them.
Christmas Ornament Exchange Party
An ornament party is a lot less work, and each guest brings one ornament and leaves with one ornament. Set a price guideline (usually $10 or $15) and ask each guest to bring one wrapped ornament. Put them all on a table and number them. Then have your guests draw matching numbers out of a hat. Everyone can open their ornaments all at once, but it's generally more fun to go around the room and watch people open their ornament and then try to guess who brought it.