Low Carb Goodie Swap!
By Jan McCracken

Ever been to an old-fashioned Christmas "cookie swap"?

Well, just because we are low carbing for life doesn't mean we are going to be deprived this Christmas or ever!

A "Low Carb Christmas Goodie Swap" is the perfect way to begin your holiday festivities! Set your date NOW and begin inviting your low carb friends! Make it "special" from the start and create a FREE email invitation at www.evite.com or make personal phone calls.

Don't know about the indulgence and relaxation and FUN of a Low Carb Goodie Swap and how it's done? No worries... It's so simple!

Each guest brings "one kind of low carb goodie" which makes it easy on the guest (don't forget to include yourself as a "guest" so you get goodies too)! Each guest brings ONE DOZEN goodies PER guest. Formula = 9 guests = 9 dozen goodies + ADD 1/2 dozen = 9-1/2 dozen goodies!

Why the "extra" half dozen? So everyone can sample the goodies at the party! It is nice if the goodies freeze well so they don't get wasted or we "eat them all at once" when we get home!

Be sure to ask each guest to bring printed recipes for their goodies. Why not request that the goodie recipes be printed on a 4" x 6" card. Then use a fancy punch (like a star), some pretty red ribbon and tie all the goodie recipes together to form a little booklet for each guest to take home.

You could print out some special Christmas quotes on a 4" x 6" card with the date and "First Annual Low Carb Goodie Swap" on it for a cover! What a nice memento of a fun-filled time with Low Carb friends! I'll bet come next year you will be getting inquires as to when this year's swap is going to be!

Have a simple and festive centerpiece... a small, live, Christmas tree (the smell is so awesome) and decorate with miniature cookie cutters. (You can find the cookie cutters at a lot of dollar stores in a package!)

Make special tent cards to write the name of each type of goodie and place the tent cards in front of each plate of goodies (these would be the goodies your guests bring to "swap")!

Have a large platter or tray for the "samplin' goodies that each guest can contribute to as they arrive. A plain tablecloth works best so the focal point is your "goodies on parade"!

Ask everyone to "dress for the occasion"! Get in the spirit and get out your Christmas duds... it may be a homemade Christmas sweatshirt or a pretty Christmas sweater, just make it festive!

You, the hostess, can prepare something festive and easy (like Chicken Poinsettias on Page 201 in my Low Carb Christmas Cookin' cookbook). This will give everyone some "real food" before embarking on the goodies!

Prepare a special coffee drink with a dollop of whipped cream and start tastin'! Remember to set out a couple pitchers of water with lemon slices and small glasses. It may be Christmas but it is still a low carb party!

Place Christmas candles everywhere... even in the bathroom... Crank up those Christmas tunes and you have a party!

Have each guest tell about their creation that they have brought to contribute. Maybe the first batch flopped... maybe they were trying to convert an old recipe to low carb - there might be some giggles there... maybe it is just a favorite that they wanted to share! We all have stories to tell and stories are the best when they are shared!

Ask each guest to bring a large container to tote their goodies home in and circle the table with each guest taking their share. I guarantee you that you won't regret taking the time to host this sharing occasion and if you are a guest you will be so tickled that you took the time to prepare and attend.

A Low Carb Goodie Swap is so what Christmas is all about... good friends, sharing, laughter, joy, love, and more sharing... Merry, Merry Low Carb Christmas!

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