Easter Cookies.

For the past 3 years, I've had a mother/daughter get together with my friends and their daughters to decorate cookies before Easter. It is by far my favorite thing to do...and it is really very enjoyable! I know--very similar to the Gingerbread party...only a cookie decorating one!I first send out invites, and tell people it is low-key. I then assign them a color--and ask that they bring 2-3 sprinkles in that hue. I also ask that the moms bring aprons for each of them (and not good clothing) and 2-3 cookie sheets (because it takes a while for the icing to harden.)
I set up my kitchen, dinette area and morning room with cookies I've already baked and are ready to decorate. Each mom/daughter team gets a dozen cookies that they select, and they start in right away...
I am sure to put out a lot of small bowls for the sprinkles, and I use the packaged royal icing for the frosting. There is some prep work involved here, but it isn't too bad. (Honestly, I am no Martha--I cheat at the cookies and the frosting--more on that in a minute...)
If you try this yourself, be sure to have moist paper towels at the bottoms of glasses for the icing, so it doesn't dry out. If you demonstrate doing the outline of the cookie first, and then fill in the inside, the cookies turn out beautiful and they look like a million bucks. The girls just love it...
Now, before you think I've outdone myself, here is the best part of the whole thing...I use the pre-made sugar cookie circles from GFS. I let the cookies stand in their packaging until they get to room temp, and add flour (about 1/4 cup to every layer of cookies), roll them out onto parchment, use cookie cutters and bake directly on the parchment. If that is too involved for you, then you can use the pre-cut sugar cookies also sold at many stores and do it that way. I buy the royal icing by the bag at a candy supply store locally and I buy 2 bags of icing for every color I mix so there is enough to cover a group of 8-10 mom/daughter groups (which will frost about 120 XL cookies).
Now, as I stated, they are all asked to bring some sort of carrier to take home wet cookies. I also give them 6" cello bags (also at the candy store) so they can package them up beautifully with ribbon for Easter.

I promise you, it is so fun. Give it a try...