Decorating cookies is more fun than baking them, and it’s much more fun if the baking’s already done. The secret to a decorating afternoon that doesn’t end in frustration is doing nearly everything ahead of time, so the table is just cookies, icing and sprinkles.

The day before

Bake the cookies. A basic sugar cookie dough, rolled about a quarter inch thick and cut with simple shapes (on Amazon): trees, stars, stockings, round ornaments. Big simple shapes are easier for kids to decorate than fiddly ones. Let them cool completely on racks (on Amazon) and store them flat in a container overnight.

Make the icing. Royal icing or a simple powdered sugar glaze, split into bowls and tinted. Three or four colors is plenty: white, red, green and maybe yellow.

Fill the bags. One piping bag (on Amazon) per color, with a small round tip or just the corner snipped off. Twist the tops and stand them in tall glasses so they don’t leak. For very young kids, put some of each icing in a small bowl with a butter knife instead.

Setting the table

Cover the table. Roll out kraft paper (on Amazon) and tape it down. It catches every sprinkle and drip, and at the end you roll it up and throw it out.

Sprinkles in small bowls. Three or four kinds in small bowls (on Amazon) with a spoon each. Decorators sprinkle over the bowl, not over the table, if the bowl’s close enough.

One spot per person. A paper plate as each person’s work area, a few plain cookies on it, a damp cloth within reach.

A drying spot. A cooling rack or a tray at one end of the table where finished cookies go to set. Icing needs an hour or two before cookies can be stacked.

While it’s happening

Expect lots of icing and sprinkles. That’s the fun part. If something looks like a disaster, it’s still delicious. For a mixed group of adults and kids, put out a few extra cookies for the adults; they’ll want to do their own.

Keep music on and snacks nearby that aren’t cookies, or everyone will have eaten six before they’ve decorated two.

Afterward

Let the cookies dry fully, then pack them in a tin with parchment between the layers. They make good gifts for neighbors.

Cleanup is mostly rolling up the paper. Soak the piping tips in warm soapy water, and if you used disposable bags, throw them out.