Cookie exchanges take almost as many forms as there are sugar cookie recipes. Nevertheless, if you’re considering holding a swap, here are some tips to get you started:

• Send invitations well in advance. It’s too late this year to invite people a month ahead of time, but that’s a good guideline for this busy time of year.
• Specify a starting and ending time for the party. That makes it easier for people to plan.
• The more people you invite, the more variety you’ll have. Eight people is about the minimum for a good mix.
• Have participants make reservations with the types of cookie they’ll be bringing. If you don’t want duplications, let them know on the invitation that you reserve the right of refusal.
• Tell participants to bring a specific number of cookies arranged in a basket or on a platter, keeping in mind that each person will go home with the same number he or she brought. Robin Olson, author of “Have a Holiday Cookie Exchange,” specifies that each person bring six dozen cookies. Other exchanges request that each guest bring a dozen for each person invited – in other words, 10 guests would bring 10 dozen cookies each – but that can end up being a huge number if the crowd is big.
• In addition, ask participants to bring enough copies of their recipes to pass out and large containers in which to take cookies home. Some hosts request the recipes in advance and compile them into a book to give to guests at the party.
• Olson tries to impress upon her guests that the cookies they bring should be special, perhaps made from a family recipe. She requires the cookies to be homemade and baked, with flour as the main ingredient.
• Serve snacks and beverages so the cookies won’t be so tempting. Guests don’t eat the cookies at Olson’s parties, but she finds that most people prefer savory treats anyway after all that baking.
• At many exchanges the cookies are set out buffet-style. Olson arranges her cookies on her dining room table and then lets her guests slowly circle the table several times, taking three or four of each kind with each pass. At other exchanges, trays of cookies are passed around the room so each guests can take a specific number.
• Ask each person to share some information about the cookie he or she brought, such as the recipe’s origin or the cookie’s place in family celebrations.