As a family, we like to gift each of our neighbors with a box or plate of cookies during Christmas time as a gesture of friendship and goodwill and Christmas cheer and greetings. I try to get the kids involved in helping bake the cookies, plating them up in a pretty package, and especially when it comes time for package delivery.
We like to change it up every year, so I am always looking for Christmas treats kids can make for neighbors!
I keep my eye out all year for something fun and different and tasty. This year, we stumbled upon the beauty and simplicity of this Peppermint Meringue Cookies recipe. Caleb helped me make them and they are definitely not difficult and look so nice when they are finished! The plan was to take it up a notch with the packaging.
Once I knew what kind of cookies we would include this year, I started looking around for packaging ideas. I had in mind to use a Hope Deck card to add an extra special touch to each gift, so I started looking for just the right box. I found lovely red treat boxes at Hobby Lobby and bought some red tissue paper while I was there. We were ready to go.
When thinking about Christmas treats kids can make for neighbors in the month of December, in our house we do have to take into account our budget. We need to find treats that are nice, but not too expensive to make. We found that each recipe of meringue cookies would fill two boxes. Since the peppermint meringue cookie recipe is not expensive at all it made the perfect box filler. You can use any of your favorite cookie recipes and this Hope Deck-inspired packaging will still be a welcome surprise underneath the treats.
Before we started packaging up the cookies, we had to trim the tissue paper to fit. Then we unfolded the boxes and creased the folds so that they would stay open and placed tissue paper and a Hope Deck card in the bottom of each box. At that point, we started layering the meringues on top of the card. After the box was filled, the tissue paper was folded over on top and the box was closed up with its cover. It’s ready to go out for delivery!
The kids and I have fun delivering each box, usually in groups of 2 or 3 a day, depending on how much time I have to make cookies. If you are looking for Christmas neighbor gift ideas, adding a Hope Deck card or deck to your gift is the perfect touch!
But you don’t have to stop with neighbor gifts. These beautiful cards can grace the bottom of a basket of rolls taken to a new mom or someone who had recent surgery or illness or a friend who needs comfort.
Here’s what you need to make these Christmas treats kids can make for neighbors.
- Treat boxes measuring at least little larger than 4×6
- Matching tissue paper sheets cut to fit inside the length of the box
- The Hope Deck (each deck includes 30 4×6 cards)
- This Peppermint Meringue Cookies Recipe or the Christmas cookie recipe of your choice
- Eggs
- Peppermint Extract
- Cream of Tartar (optional)
- Salt
- Superfine Sugar (or regular sugar as desired)
Have fun baking, assembling, and delivering these together with your kids!
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