There are few things as nerve-racking as meeting the parents and extended family of your significant other. Add Christmas Day to the mix and you’ve got a recipe for “Oh crap, I don’t know if I’m supposed to bring presents or not.”
Well, I have a much better recipe for you: cookies! Cookies are the ultimate gift when you’re not sure if you should bring one. Got me something? Here, these cookies are a present from me! Didn’t get me something? Here, I brought dessert! Problem solved.
The great thing about the cookie present solution is that you can personalize it. Mimi and Papa like chocolate? Extra double chocolate chunk for you! Uncle Jim can’t have gluten? How about some flourless chocolate cookies?
Last Christmas was the first big holiday I spent with my significant other’s family. I already knew his parents well enough but still, the eternal “should I bring presents?” question lingered in my mind so this is exactly what I did. For most of the family, I made four different types of cookie–salted caramel snickerdoodles, white chocolate cranberry macadamia, Reese’s Pieces peanut butter and double chocolate chunk. And for Uncle Jim, I did go for the gluten-free flourless chocolate.
Packaged in a foil tin with a bow and a custom tag and Merry Christmas! It was personal and thoughtful and it didn’t break the bank. I’ll definitely do it again this year and super excited to take some of the muscle out of it by using my KitchenAid Stand Mixer. It will be a fun reason to try out some new cookie recipes and I’m going to see if my soon-to-be stepson would like to help so it can be a gift from the family. That’s right, the significant other I mentioned, he’s now my fiance. Now, I’m not saying it’s because of the cookies…but I’m not saying it’s not either.
I have yet to attempt the cookie present solution for other holidays but have a feeling it would yield similar results. Seriously, who doesn’t love cookies?
Written by Emily Hosinski