The Lazy Genius Podcast - #188 - How to Lazy Genius a Pandemic Cookie Exchange

Episode Date: December 14, 2020

This year may not be the year to host the entire neighborhood or maybe even anyone for a traditional cookie exchange; however, it could be a fun way to get everyone in your house involved in the kitchen and flex your creative muscles in showing other people that you care about them… through cookies. So we’re going to briefly cover what a cookie exchange is then I’ll go through a few steps to help you plan one during a pandemic. Helpful Companion Links My favorite book about gathering people is Priya Parker’s The Art of Gathering Canva is a great resource for designing invitations, cards, or cookie tags if that sounds fun to you The Magic Question (and all of its Lazy Genius principle friends) live in my book The Lazy Genius Way A few cookie recipes hosted here on The Lazy Genius Collective: “I Want Them Now” Chocolate Chip Cookies, My Absolute Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe, Cumberbatch Cookies, Fudgy Oatmeal Cookies That are GF, Vegan and Mostly Refined SF, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies Download a transcript of this episode This podcast is hosted by Kendra Adachi and executive produced by Kendra Adachi, Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello, you're listening to The Lazy Genius Podcast. I'm Kendra Adachi, and I'm here to help you be a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don't. Today is episode 188. How to Lazy Genius a pandemic cookie exchange? Now, I know this year, it may not be the year to host like the entire neighborhood, or maybe even anyone for a traditional cookie exchange. However, it could be a really fun way to get everyone in your house involved in the kitchen together,

You can flex your creative muscles and showing other people that you care about them all through cookies. So we, I know this is super niche, but we're going to like briefly cover how to do this, like what a cookie exchange is. And then I'm going to go through some steps to help you kind of plan one during a pandemic. Now, you might be wondering what prompted this oddly specific holiday adjacent episode. So we're going to start there. My husband, cause, he loves asking people, mostly me, random, but fun. questions. So when he like proposed a dessert hierarchy with me, he was trying to figure out like what I like most, the category that I liked best, I played along, you know, and I was as shocked

as anyone that my top category is cookies, like hands down. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. There are tons of varieties, but only a handful of relatively easy methods to get there. Cookies are portable, comforting. They're not messy. They're very low risk. If you try a new recipe and you don't like it, which is rare with cookies, but it's fine, you can always send some to your neighbors, you know, if you have the leftovers. But the same cannot be said so much of like a cake that you've cut into. And you're like, yeah, like, I didn't like, I didn't like it.

You want what's left over? It's kind of weird. So, anyway, I'm super into cookies. Also, it's usually around this time of year where I bake a bunch of cookies for friends, a nod to the business I had before this one called the sugar box. I love baking things and wrapping them up, like cute in a box and giving them out to friends and even strangers sometimes. And I've even been wondering, like, if I can squeeze any kind of cookie baking or exchange into this particular holiday season, especially with my book deadline coming up so fast. You might not know this, but I have a book due in the middle of January.

So, I don't know. It's a little crazy to think about doing one, but I'm still thinking about it. But all that to say, I've been thinking a lot about cookies and how to get them in my mouth. and also maybe get them into other people's mouths. So the basic idea of a cookie exchange is what it sounds like. You make cookies and you give them while others you know do the same back to you. You exchange them. We all know this. However, there can be so many reasons why you would have a cookie exchange. Is it a chance to try new recipes? Go super festive with your flavors. You know, it's like all about allspice and peppermine and stuff. Sharing traditional family favorites that have been handed down.

There are really so many reasons. Now, as with all things, lazy genius, before we start planning anything, we first need to name what matters. And yes, it's really important to name what matters even for something like a cookie exchange because I promise you, the whole experience will feel more festive and authentic and fun if you name why it matters to you. And you might discover that hosting a cookie exchange of any kind, it really doesn't matter to you. Like if you listen to this episode or you just listen to this few minutes and you're like, no, I'm out. I don't care. That's totally wonderful.

But if it does matter in general, you need to name why specifically so that you can plan appropriately. So maybe what matters to you is getting to know your neighbors better. So keep the barriers to entry like extremely low and encourage them to stop by your front yard. even if they don't bake or they don't bring anything to offer. The exchange is human interaction. You're in charge of the cookies, right? Maybe you want to plan one because you and your coworkers or you and your siblings talk about the Great British Bake Off all the time and you would love to have your own kind of technical challenge, you know, like maybe over Zoom.

Or maybe you want to start a fun tradition for your kids and their friends, right? It's about the kids, which changes. is what cookies you make. You see what I'm saying? All of these examples are technically cookie exchanges, but they have very different vibes and they require very different plans. You want to name what matters so that you can plan an exchange that you actually enjoy. Okay, so we've named what matters. Good job. Our next step, that sounded really patronizing and I didn't mean for it too. I love you all so much. Our next step is setting up the ground rules and then also thinking about who's going to come. Okay. Gatherings need rules. I know that's, I don't know, that sounds kind of crazy, but it's not crazy. I am not crazy. Priya Parker is an author who wrote one of my favorite books ever called The Art of Gathering. And she says that you as the host are the person who puts others at ease with what is expected. There's nothing wrong with that. It's actually like a really good thing. It usually makes your gathering more relaxed because people aren't worried about something unspoken, that's that.

they missed. Also, when it comes to exchanging cookies, it's nice to just have some logistics covered. So everybody leaves with some. Okay, so your first question, how many cookies, roughly, are you anticipating each person leaving with? I know this is kind of a weird place to start, but like, if this is all about the cookies, I want you to use your imagination here. Is it a dozen, four dozen? What about the variety? Does that really matter? I have seen cookie exchanges where there are plates covered with 20 different cookies, but they're all, all different. It's like one cookie from everything or a box of two dozen cookies, but it's only two kinds, right? So often, we don't know what we are expecting until those expectations are not met. So do you have a visual

of what your cookie expectation is? That's important to name. And if you do reverse engineer from there. If you don't, great. The point is if you have in your head that there are going to be a dozen different kinds of cookies, but only three other people or families are involved in this and they all bring one and then you end up making eight or nine varieties yourself because no one else is making more than one, even though you didn't ask them to make more than one, you might resent the cookie exchange or your friends. And we don't want either of those things to happen. So be honest about your expectations and sort of see like, is this worth following through with? or should I, you know, cool it a little bit. Now, here is your best bet. I think for something like a cookie exchange. There are different reasons why something matters, but I feel like these two words

will always like fall in line. And that is fun and simple. Keep things fun and simple. Think about whatever you can do under the umbrella of what matters to you and what the purpose of your exchange is. Do whatever you do to make the whole thing fun and simple. So ask people to bring two dozen of one kind of cookie, right? That's like a standard recipe and they only have to make one thing. You could have containers all ready for people to use when they come or you can ask them to bring a plate and you'll already have big rolls of like foil or plastic wrap to wrap things up. That's pretty simple because you're thinking through for them. You could actually drop off little plastic goodie bags, you know, those little treat bags in the mailboxes of the

people who are coming to your cookie exchange and ask them to bundle up six cookies in a bag and bring them. So there's no actual touching of other people's cookies in these pandemic times. Fun for some is homemade and simple for some is storebot. So like go ahead and make it clear what people are free to do. Fun and simple. Fun and simple. I'm giving some like general ideas here, but as long as you remember your own purpose, you will start to imagine the fun and simple that makes sense for you. Aw isn't something we need to travel for. It's something waiting for us in everyday life, whether in a city street or a moment with a

work of art. I'm Dr. Keltner, host of the Science of Happiness podcast. Join me for Cities of Aw, a special series on how our public spaces can spark awe, wonder, and enhance the quality of public life. You can find us wherever you listen to your podcasts. So as you name some of your cookie rules and how you envision things to be, you know, in whatever ways your community is existing during these times, and even how the weather is where you live, since you're probably not doing too many outdoor cookie exchanges in Chicago right now.

I don't know. Think about the people. Think about who you'd like to share this with. Again, the purpose behind your cookie exchange is a driving force in this. If it's for your neighbors, then invite only your neighbors. Right? You get the idea. So name who it's for now that you know why it matters and then write those people down. Okay, so you have your people. The next thing is you need to tell them about it and invite them. Now you can make this like super fun by making actual invitations rather than, you know,

sending a text. Either way is great. It's it's whatever you want to make matter, right? I'm going to going to quickly make a plug for Canva. This is not like an ad or anything. I just really like using Canva. It's free. It's great to create something fun and simple. They have so many layouts and great designs to start from. It's just great. And it's free to use, which we hold love. So you could design, you know, like a cute little invitation and you could just send that image as an attachment to an email or use an Evite website or text that image to people. I have done a party that way where I texted the invitation that was like highly designed, but it was sent on text. It was like, you know, maybe a bit paradoxical, but that's okay. You could mail those, you know, like snail mail,

or you could hand deliver printed invitations that you print or that you make, as is the case with all invitations, but just a reminder because of all of our brains are fried these days. Just make sure you list the day in the time frame, obviously, the location, how the exchange will work and what you're asking people to bring, you know, be really, really clear about those expectations. And, you know, I will say, I think going back to the purpose, it would be really helpful for your people to have some kind of direction and what kind of cookie to bring if that feels important to your purpose. So if your purpose is like family favorites, you can say that on your invitation or in your text or on the phone call or whatever. Bring a family favorite. Tell the people that bring your family favorite cookie recipe.

If the purpose is to bake something new, invite everyone to bring a cookie they've always wanted to try, but haven't had the chance to make yet. If it is a GBBO-th themed exchange, ask people to bring something inspired by the show or inspired by their favorite contestant or something that was made or you can even tell them, we're all going to make, I'm blanking. You could all make their own gingerbread houses elaborately. Actually, don't do that. That feels really, really stressful.

Don't do that. We've seen the show. No sane humans should do that on their own for fun. But you know what I'm saying. What happens otherwise is you'll just say, bring two dozen cookies. And then you get five people who all bring chocolate chip cookies. But also, also, here's the thing about that. If you say on the invitation that the purpose here is family favorites. Okay. Bring your family favorite cookie recipe. And everyone still brings chocolate chip cookies. you actually have a really fun situation on your hands because these are all family favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes. You're going to experience that whole thing completely differently because the purpose is clear. So just be specific in some way of what people should bring or drop off or however you want to do the actual exchange in these pandemic times, which leads us to the gathering logistics.

only you know what you are comfortable with inside and masked outside and masked outside and not masked a drive-by kind of exchange where no one brings cookies and you make all the cookies and you just give cookies to your friends like within a certain time frame and that just makes them smile in their car you can do a porch drop off a big play date at a local park where kids play and cookies aren't excess like only you know what you're comfortable with. But here's the thing. If you start, and remember, lazy genius is going the right order. We start with the right thing. And if you start with the gathering logistics, you might not end up anywhere. Instead, start with what matters. What matters about this? Does baking and sharing and maybe getting cookies matter? Who matters in this? What is the purpose? And once you buy into that, once you get excited about that, figuring out the best logistics, Like, it's going to be kind of simple, actually. They only feel complicated logistics when you start there.

So don't start there. They are kind of last. And then finally, depending on the logistics you do decide on, think about drinks, any extra food, like if people are hanging out, safe seating, temperature comfort, if you're outside, you know, like fire or blankets or whatever, entertainment for kids, if anyone is sticking around for a while. Are you going to pair it with dinner? you know, lots of different questions. It's okay to just like gatherings happen and flow,

like without question. But thinking through something using one of our favorite lazy genius principles, the magic way, the magic way. That is not the name of my book or of the principle. The principle is the magic question. My book is called The Lazy Genius Way. But the principle of the magic question is, what can I do now to make something easier later? So in this scenario, what can you do now to make your gathering easier later, especially based on what matters to you? Do whiny kids who drag all the tiny toys from their rooms outside? Does that make things hard for you? Okay. Then you need to think ahead about how you can make that potential boredom for your kids easier. Or actually, you know what? Maybe it's not even boredom. Maybe it's that there aren't any toys or activities outside for kids.

And so your kids, if you have them and you're hosting something, they just grab whatever toy is closest in the front door, right? So what you could do is get like mini bubbles for all the kids or sidewalk chalk or something that is again fun and simple. But magic question you're gathering or your cookie baking or the exchange itself like thinking ahead for your own benefit. Just a little bit. How can you magic question this? with your kind of final logistics. Okay, one last word. Why are we doing this? Why does this even matter? And again, for you, it might not. Likely, if that's the case, you stopped listening a while ago. But the overall idea here that could matter to a lot of you is connecting with people over food.

It's December. It's Christmas and winter and a beautiful holiday time. where we all need a win, you know? So spending some effort on thinking about this in a way that makes sense for you and your family, it could be like a really lovely thing that your December needs. So I hope that this path makes it feel like a little bit more of a possibility. All right. So if you need a cookie recipe, by the way, I've got a few on my website. There are two kinds of chocolate chip cookies because it do not play. One, that is the absolute best in my opinion. But it does need three days to chill in the refrigerator. That is the truth. And the second one is like,

they're literally called, I want them now chocolate chip cookies. They're super good. But they don't take three days. I also really love the Cumberbatch cookies I made that were inspired by Benedict Cumberbatch. That post is complete with photos, by the way. They're like a double chocolate situation and really lovely. There's also a surprisingly great gluten-free recipe that I created for chocolate chip cookies again where I use gifts of Chris Pratt to walk you through the process. I do have a vibe if you were not clear on that yet. So you can find those links in the show notes if you'd like if you want to check out those cookie recipes or just search the word cookie on my site and see all the options

that pop up. Okay, that is it for today. Thank you so much for listening. If you do host a cookie exchange, I hope that it is so much fun. You don't have to share it on Instagram, but if you want to and you want to tag me, I would love to see it. I would love to see it. I'm so glad you're here.

And until next time, be a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don't. I'm Kendra, and I'll see you next week. Have you ever felt like you were living just a B or B plus life? It's so dangerous to live that. More dangerous than a B minus or a C plus life? Because when you're living a B or B plus life, you don't change it. You think it's good enough.

Is it? I'm Susie Welch. I host a podcast called Becoming You. People think, okay, an A-plus life is not available to me, but there is a way. We are all in the process of becoming ourselves. Listen to Becoming You wherever you get your podcasts.