When the children arrive at the party, take them into the kitchen for a cookie-decorating contest. Be sure to have everything all set to go before their small tornado-like selves burst into your kitchen. Try the following ideas:

•Cover your floor and counters with newspapers, and have shirts on hand for draping the children.

•Assemble tubes of colored frosting and tiny decorating candies.

•Have a stack of damp paper towels ready for wiping hands and spills, and paper plates for holding the works of art.

•To prevent frosting disasters, enlist at least one adult with a sweet tooth to supervise the activity.

•Let the kids decorate five cookies each, but consider limiting consumption to one.

•Award candy canes or other prizes for the goofiest, tallest or most colorful creation. Afterwards, arrange the entries on a platter and set them on the table for everyone to admire.