How to Host a Christmas Cookie Decorating Party for Kids

If you’re thinking about hosting a Christmas cookie decorating party for kids, I’ve got loads of tips for you. (You also may want to grab my Christmas Cookie Decorating Party Plan for all my tried-and-true strategies.) We host this party every year and have learned all the easiest ways to do things through trial and error.

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Cookie decorating supplies 

Party success — especially during the busy holiday season — is all about starting early and doing a little bit at a time. Make your cookie dough one day and store it in the fridge, bake the cookies the next day, then make royal icing and decorate your table the third day.

You’ll need some basic supplies for decorating your cookie table:

• Tablecloth
• Wrapping paper to use as a table runner. I like Brother Sister Brand Studio brand, available at Hobby Lobby
• Cardboard trays for decorating cookies
• Paper plates that coordinate with wrapping paper for any food you serve
• Kraft paper placemats 
• Sturdy disposable cutlery
• Napkins https://shop.thepartyteacher.com/collections/birthday-party-plans/products/christmas-cookie-decorating-party-planner-instant-download
• I also like to have a kitchen towel for everyone, since this is a messy party
• Mugs for cocoa. I choose these glass mugs.

Cookie Recipes

You’ll also need four recipes, including royal icing and cut-out cookies that won’t spread:

• We use this royal icing recipe from Wilton because it calls for meringue powder instead of egg whites, so you don’t have to worry about raw food safety issues.
• Sugar cookie recipe from Fifteen Spatulas
• Gingerbread cookie recipe from The Kitchen Paper
• Chocolate cookie recipe from Sweetest Menu

Cookie Decorating Tools

Finally, you’ll need these tools for making and decorating cookies:

• Cookie sheets
• Parchment paper
• Cookie cutters (if you choose cutters of a similar size, your cookies will bake more evenly)
• Good-quality icing bags so they don’t burst as you’re squeezing out icing
• Icing bag ties
• Icing tips and couplers
• Gel food coloring 
• Sprinkles 
• Optional: squeeze bottles for flood-consistency icing
• Mini mason jars for sprinkles. Or, you could use cupcake tins.
• Disposable mini spoons for scooping sprinkles

Our Christmas cookie decorating table

This year, I choose wrapping paper with a gingerbread man motif. We draped the paper down the center of our dining room table, over a beige floral fabric tablecloth. (You may be tempted to choose a disposable tablecloth, but they don’t look great, never lat flat, and rip easily. I always choose a washable fabric tablecloth instead.) The kraft paper placemats help keep the tablecloth neat.

At each place, I added two cardboard platters. Having two per guest just makes it easier for them to set aside the first batch of decorated cookies and start on their next set of cookies. I chose a cute gingerbread man plate to top the platters. On the left, I layered a red-striped kitchen towel with a red scalloped paper napkin and cutlery.

I made gingerbread chair buntings to dress up our chair backs. I also hung a red apron from each chair to help keep things neat for our decorators.

As always, we made slow-cooker hot chocolate. (The recipe is in this post.) Hot cocoa is better with mix-ins, so I added a gingerbread Peep and peppermint spoon to each mug. (Just snip the Peep with scissors to fit it on the rim of your cup.)

The rest of the table was decorated with white platters holding the three types of cookies and bags of icing. (If you need more room for seating, keep the cookies in the kitchen and refill guests’ cardboard trays from there.)

In the center of the table, I added a red, white and Christmas evergreen floral arrangement from Gather & Bloom.

I like to keep my sprinkles in 4 oz. mason jars for easy storage. That also makes it simple to display the sprinkles on wood stands in either side of the flowers.

I hung red ornaments and gingerbread cookie cutters from our chandelier on red satin ribbon.

What food to serve at a Christmas cookie decorating party

We usually start this party at noon with a light lunch, and then begin decorating. But this year, we needed to start early, so we started at 10 a.m. with brunch. I set up food for this party on our dining room sideboard for easy access.

I picked up a sun-dried tomato and spinach quiche locally, then made brown sugar bacon from The Pioneer Woman’s recipe, and made a citrus salad.

The citrus salad comes together quickly:

• Cut the rind of two grapefruit and two oranges, then cut each so you have circular slices.
• Layer the fruit in a shallow serving dish with a lip to keep the juices in.
• Sprinkle with goat cheese crumbles. Drizzle with honey, and then top with fresh mint.

If you need kid-friendly brunch ideas, check out this post.

For dessert, we had chocolate cake from Smallcakes, decorated to coordinate with our gingerbread man theme. The detail on this cake was gorgeous!

See all our Christmas cookie decorating parties 

For even more inspiration and detailed tips, check out our previous Christmas cookie decorating parties:

• Holly Christmas cookie decorating party
• Snowflake Christmas cookie decorating party
• Santa Christmas cookie decorating party

party vendors:

• Party styling: The Party Teacher
• Gingerbread chair buntings: The Party Teacher Shop
• Gingerbread cake: Smallcakes Woodstock
• French linen beige floral tablecloth: Dorachic on Amazon
• Floral centerpiece: Gather & Bloom
• Scalloped kraft paper placemats: Amazon
• Glass coffee mugs: Amazon
• Red aprons: Amazon
• White hand towel with red stripe: Amazon
• Gingerbread paper plates: Sprinkle Bash
• Red scalloped dinner napkins: Meri Meri on Amazon
• Gold and white disposable cutlery: Amazon
• Mini mason jars (4 oz size): Amazon
• Demitasse spoons: Amazon
• Thick cardboard trays: Amazon
• Gingerbread paper plates: Amazon
• Squeeze bottles: Amazon
• Icing bags: Wilton on Amazon