The holiday season brings familiar sights, sounds, and smells. Christmas trees sparkle, favorite carols fill the air, and kitchens come alive with the aroma of freshly baked cookies. For two local families, these simple pleasures are part of a cherished Christmas tradition that has grown sweeter with each passing year.
From a lively cookie exchange in Hogansville to a family baking day that has spanned more than two decades, these gatherings are about much more than homemade treats. They're about laughter, togetherness, and making memories that last long after the last cookie disappears.
A Tradition That Comes Full Circle
For Karen Hanlon and her daughter, Jessica Henderson, Cookie Day is a tradition that began years ago in South Florida, when Jessica was a homeschooled elementary student.
Looking for a fun way to kick off the Christmas season, Karen invited Jessica's friends over for an afternoon of baking. The girls made cookies together and exchanged their creations, and what began as a simple holiday activity soon became an annual tradition.
As Jessica grew older, married, and moved away, she carried the tradition with her, hosting cookie exchanges in Florida and Colorado. When her family returned to the area in 2020, mother and daughter joined forces to revive the celebration in Hogansville.
Karen Hanlon and her daughter Jessica Henderson
Ready for the Cookie Party!
Now approaching their seventh year of co-hosting, Karen and Jessica welcome friends of different generations to Karen's home each December 1.
The guest list has grown from approximately 12 to 15 women to more than 25, with Karen's friends and Jessica's friends gathering for an evening of cookies, Christmas punch, games and spirited competition.
Each guest arrives with two to three dozen homemade cookies or other holiday treats. Prizes are awarded for best taste, best presentation and best non-cookie creation, with some participants going to impressive lengths to claim bragging rights.
The festivities also include Christmas trivia and a lively Dirty Santa ornament exchange. Karen's home is fully decorated for the season, providing a festive backdrop for the celebration.
And while the competition can be fierce, one particular cookie remains a favorite regardless of the judges' decisions.
Karen's homemade peanut butter cup cookies, a longstanding family Christmas tradition, have never won a prize. Yet year after year, guests seek them out when filling the Christmas platters Karen and Jessica provide for everyone to take home.
Of course, not every elaborate presentation goes exactly as planned. One memorable entry featured an actual pine log that brought along some unexpected insect guests, discovered only toward the end of the evening. The incident prompted a new informal rule: no more real pieces of nature in the cookie displays!
For Karen, however, the sweetest part of the celebration has little to do with winning prizes.
"It means a lot to me to share this with my daughter as each year goes on," she says.
With a daughter-in-law now joining the festivities, the tradition continues to grow alongside the family.
A Family Assembly Line of Christmas Cheer
While Karen and Jessica's guests arrive with their cookies ready to exchange, another local family takes a decidedly hands-on approach to Cookie Day.
For more than 25 years, the Rogne family has gathered at the home of Nancy Rogne for a full day of baking, dipping chocolate and enjoying one another's company.
The tradition began around 2000, when Nancy, her mother Julie Poston, daughters Tina Bearden, Julie Orr and Kathleen Whatley, and granddaughter Isabella "Belle" Orr decided to make Christmas cookies for family members and coworkers.
They chose the first Saturday in December, and Rogne Cookie Day was born.
The Rogne Cookie Crew
Gearing up for another Cookie Day!
Today, the gathering begins bright and early at 8:30 a.m., often with someone arriving with Chick-fil-A breakfast to fuel the day's activities.
Tables throughout Nancy's home are covered in wax paper, Christmas music plays continuously, and the kitchen becomes the center of a well-organized holiday operation.
Weeks before the gathering, each participant selects a different cookie to bake at home and bring for the exchange. Family favorites include oatmeal cookies, Silver Bells, Mrs. Fields cookies, Caramel Tassies, Maple Crisps and fruitcake cookies.
But the real star of Rogne Cookie Day is the family's beloved homemade Bon Bons.
Bon Bons anyone?
Making them is a group effort that has been refined over the years into something resembling a carefully choreographed assembly line.
Three crockpots melt milk and white chocolate while another family member combines butter, peanut butter, and powdered sugar to prepare the filling. The mixture moves to the dining room, where it is rolled into balls, then travels to the living room for chocolate dipping.
After 10 to 12 batches, Tina adds the finishing touch, drizzling white chocolate over the hardened treats.
Even the leftover chocolate gets put to good use, coating marshmallows, pretzels, cherries, lace cookies, and Oreos.
By the end of the day, each participant heads home with approximately 70 to 80 Bon Bons and a tray of assorted Christmas cookies.
Along the way, there is plenty of laughter, a lunchtime sandwich shop break and a few traditions that make the day uniquely theirs.
The women often wear matching aprons, sometimes handmade, and take turns purchasing cooking-themed Christmas ornaments for one another. And there is one longstanding kitchen rule: men are not allowed!
Making Room for New Generations
Like Karen and Jessica's celebration, Rogne Cookie Day has evolved as the family has grown and changed.
This year, the family adjusted its traditional December schedule so Belle, who is serving in the Peace Corps, could be home to participate. They are also looking forward to welcoming Kathleen's future daughter-in-law, Queenie Udofiah, into the kitchen.
The original Cookie Day even inspired a second family tradition.
When the family's children were younger, Kathleen hosted a Cousins' Cookie Day, where William, Nathan, Seth, Sydney and Belle decorated their own holiday treats.
As the cousins grew older, their cookie-making gatherings evolved into Cousins Day, with outings for skating, bowling, movies, and other activities.
The tradition may have changed, but its purpose remained the same: spending time together and strengthening family bonds.
And the cookies themselves have developed quite a following beyond the family. Kathleen says her husband's coworkers eagerly anticipate their annual cookie tray, and her husband takes daily photographs documenting just how quickly the treats disappear.
The Sweetest Ingredient
Although the Hanlon-Henderson and Rogne families celebrate Cookie Day differently, both have discovered that the most meaningful holiday traditions are often the ones built around simple moments together.
Karen's advice for anyone hoping to begin a similar tradition is to choose a consistent annual date so friends and family can make it part of their holiday calendars.
Kathleen encourages families to embrace the unexpected, experiment with new ideas and, above all, enjoy the time they share.
"Be flexible, try new things, and laugh a lot!" she says. "Time with family is precious, and the memories you make now will be treasured for generations to come."
Whether it's an evening of friendly competition or a full day of chocolate dipping, the cookies are only part of what makes these celebrations special.
As Kathleen reflects on more than 25 years of her family's Cookie Day, she offers a sentiment that captures the spirit of both traditions.
"Like a good recipe, every ingredient matters, and together we make something wonderful."
Does your family have special Christmas Cookie traditions? We’d love to hear about them in the comments!
