Cookie Exchange Casual

The cookie exchange is the most relaxed party of the season. Everyone shows up with a tin, everyone leaves with a dozen kinds of cookies, and the dress code lands somewhere between Saturday errands and the Christmas card photo.

A red cable knit sweater handles the festive part on its own. Pair it with straight-leg jeans and Mary Jane flats so you can stand at the counter for hours, and tie on a cross-back apron for the frosting station. A velvet bow in your hair is the one detail that makes it look styled instead of thrown on.

The Cookie Exchange Formula

Cable Knit Crewneck Sweater
Soft cotton cable knit in classic red. It's the color of the season without a single reindeer, and the texture keeps it cozy.

Straight Leg Jeans
A straight leg balances a chunkier sweater and looks clean with flats. The kind of jeans you can bend, reach and bake in.

Mary Jane Ballet Flats
Black square-toe flats with a buckle strap and a scatter of studs. Comfortable for hours on your feet, and a little sweeter than sneakers.

Cross Back Linen Apron
Cotton linen with pockets and a cross-back that doesn't tug at your neck. It keeps the powdered sugar off your sweater and looks good enough to leave on for photos.

Velvet Hair Bow
A dark red velvet bow on a clip. Pin it at the back of a half-up style and the whole outfit suddenly looks planned.

Christmas Cookie Tins
A set of three nested metal tins. Bring your batch in a tin, not on a paper plate, and send everyone home with a tin of their own.

Pro Tip: Tape a small card with the name of your cookie inside the lid. When people ask for the recipe later, and they will, they'll know whose tin it came from.

Nobody remembers who brought the fanciest cookies.

They remember the afternoon, the coffee, and whoever made them laugh at the frosting table.