how it went down at the cookie swap

I am right in the middle of preparing a little holiday gift/surprise for the blog, and no it’s not a holiday video. Did that three years ago. Just call me cutting edge. I was considering skipping posting today – no time! no time! – but then I just had to share how it went down at the cookie swap.

Last Wednesday I posted a heartfelt but very short post. Remember? What will you bring? So I’m coming clean. The real reason I posted such a short post is that I was getting ready for a cookie swap. And while I was posting about keeping things under control and being all warm and fuzzy, what was really going on in my house was a little more like Buddy the Elf jacked up on sugar and plastering everything with paper cut outs.

The morning started calmly enough. I only had to make three dozen cookies – that’s nothing compared to the eight to nine dozen I had to crank out in my old stomping grounds.

I only bake one cookie – ever. Coconut macaroons. It’s my signature cookie. It has six ingredients. It’s a drop cookie, I can fit 24 on one cookie sheet, and it takes 18 minutes to bake. I know the recipe by heart.

I bake the cookies. I drizzle them with chocolate. I post a pic on Instagram. Done and done.

And then I took another look at the invite:

Prizes will be awarded for tastiest cookie and best display.

In my experience, people either love or hate coconut macaroons, so winning tastiest is always a stretch.

But display? That’s what I do best. That is right in my wheelhouse.

My mind started racing. Build a manger, line it with coconut macaroons, and find a baby to play the role of Jesus. A sleigh pulled by reindeer made out of coconut macaroons. A huge pile of cookies and candy with reproductions of Buddy and Jovie on top. (Yes, we had recently watched Elf).

Let’s not get crazy, I reminded myself. I got out all of my platters. I arranged the cookies on each one.

Meh. Boring. A quick Pinterest search tipped me off that you can us an old picture frame for a tray. I have plenty of those.

And we were off. I started digging through old craft supplies – origami paper! I love origami paper! A styrofoam cone! This looks just like a tree! A Christmas tree!

I couldn’t reel myself in. Soon I was up to my elbows in strips of origami paper and carefully gluing them into a delicate paper chain.

How is it already time to pick up the kids??!?!

As they walked in the door, I told them about my project and asked them what they thought. But really, I was just trying to involve them enough so that they would let me keep working. I even roped my youngest into making an elf to include dancing down my macaroon valley. Then if the whole thing was a bust I could say, Oh you know. My kids were so into it. I just couldn’t say no.

And that’s when my mental state started to unravel. I burned the popcorn I was making for snack and yelled at the kids as if it was their fault. I was snapping at them for asking me too many questions and generally distracting me from my beautiful display. I was way over the edge. I was a train barrelling down the tracks and the brakes were out. Creative mania was in full force.

And then, it was finished. And I stood back and beamed.

Prizes will be awarded for tastiest cookie and best display.

I was feeling confident. Even the smell of burnt popcorn could not hold me back.

Since we moved this year, this is my first year joining this particular swap. And as my oldest reminded me, I was at a disadvantage because I didn’t know what the competition would be like. And yes, that is how he really talks. But, I was ready. I had brought my A game.

At the same time, I knew the whole thing was ridiculous. I like making things so I gave myself a little leeway to be creative and make something beautiful. It really had nothing to do with cookies and only a little to do with winning.

Tomorrow I wouldn’t snap at them so much. I would make it up. Because I would be a winner.

That evening I went to the swap. I felt a bit sheepish setting up my display when I looked around and everyone else had stuck to tins and platters. One platter had a snow globe in the middle. Cute. One person arranged their cookies in the shape of a snowflake. Clever.

Had I read the invitation wrong?

Let’s just say that I was the only one with a picture frame wrapped in festive paper displaying a a origami paper tree at the end of a macaroon valley where elves frolic and drape the landscape with paper chains.

And then –

I got second. Behind the snowflake. There was no prize for second.

And I did the requisite, I was robbed! And joked about it with my friends. And if this had happened a year ago, I would have literally spent hours replaying it in my head worried about what other people were thinking. Do they think I’m showing off? Do they think I’m trying too hard? Am I supposed to care or supposed to not care? And going over and over the words on the invitation.

Prizes will be awarded for tastiest cookie and best display.

Even though my kids bore the brunt of my exuberance which is not so cool, I am very happy with how it went down at the cookie swap. It was almost like I just needed an excuse, the invitation to create something. And in the end, I was completely myself. And I wasn’t afraid. I’m the girl who makes crazy displays. That is totally 100% who I am.

What more could I ask for?

Except of course, first place.

Here is a fuzzy picture of the second place display. I will not win any awards for photography.