I like cookies

November 27, 2018 4:25 AM

I noticed it's a little past the usual time that the cookie swap gets announced, and I miss it! For five years running, ausdemfenster gave us the awesome gift of organizing it. I don’t want to step on toes if I’m wrong, but I think she may not be taking it on this year. Regretfully, I'm not volunteering to run it, but I hoped if I called attention to it here, maybe someone else would?
posted by daisyace to MetaFilter-Related at 4:25 AM (21 comments total)

I was -just- thinking about this, and how I'd really like some internet cookies right around now. (Any cookie really)
posted by Fig at 10:50 AM on November 27, 2018 [2 favorites]

From glancing over her announcement posts from past years, it looks like ausdemfenster usually announces the MeFi Cookie Swap somewhere around November 11 to 24. So perhaps she might not be doing it again this year?

Given the weight of the 2018-ness of things lately, I don’t think that I’d be able to take on organizing the cookie swap either, unfortunately. But I have two ideas that I thought that I might toss out there—

• If nothing else, maybe we could coordinate an ad-hoc cookie swap among those who chime in to this thread (if it’s not too many people)?
• If there may be someone who’d be open to tag-teaming the responsibilities, I might potentially be open to teaming up with one or two other people to take on the organizing for the cookie swap.

posted by Handcoding at 11:57 AM on November 27, 2018 [2 favorites]

I'm not able to coordinate either and was wondering if I had missed the post. We did a sort of geographic grouping before; I'm in the Pittsburgh area and would love to participate if others are still up for it!
posted by miratime at 1:17 PM on November 27, 2018

Yay cookies!

I'm not up to taking the lead on organizing it, either. (A longtime friend IRL just died). But I might be able to help our a bit ...

What's involved in setting up the swap? Is anyone in touch with ausdemfenster so we could get last year's Goggle form and the password for the dedicated email address she set up?

My guess at what's involved: 1. Announce start of sign ups. 2. Establish deadline for sign ups. 3. Write and post link to Google form. 4. Include hints on baking and packing cookies for mailing. 5. Set up swap groups and notify participants of everyone's address. Include reminder of restrictions, if any (nuts, alcohol, etc.). 6. Respond to questions. Am I missing anything? It seems that the notification of swap group membership and answering if questions could be done by a small group of people ...
posted by LeftMyHeartInSanFrancisco at 1:20 PM on November 27, 2018 [1 favorite]

I want to swap cookies! I can coordinate if we're sure ausdemfenster will not be doing so this year.
posted by too bad you're not me at 1:26 PM on November 27, 2018 [6 favorites]

Is anyone in touch with ausdemfenster so we could get last year's Goggle form and the password for the dedicated email address she set up?

I don’t happen to know how to contact ausdemfenster, but for what it’s worth, last year’s sign-up form is still online (via last year’s Cookie Swap post). So if need be, perhaps we could recreate it?
posted by Handcoding at 1:36 PM on November 27, 2018 [1 favorite]

I would be down for baking and could be available to help organize.
posted by topophilia at 4:01 PM on November 27, 2018 [1 favorite]

I will 100% organize the cookie swap if our first volunteers change their minds. Each year I participate, I fantasize about organizing it because I imagine that it involves spreadsheets, logistics, and being organized and those are all my favorite things.

I have ausdemfenster's personal email, because two years ago we were in the same group. Do you think it is ethical/appropriate/ok if I send her a very short email and ask for the keys to the cookie wagon? too bad you're not me, since you were first to volunteer to be in charge, I could CC you so you'd get her reply. If we think emailing ausdemfenster is ok, MeMail me your email address?
posted by missmary6 at 5:15 PM on November 27, 2018 [6 favorites]

missmary6, just memailed ya!
posted by too bad you're not me at 6:52 PM on November 27, 2018

Do you think it is ethical/appropriate/ok if I send her a very short email and ask for the keys to the cookie wagon?

Just to put this out there—even if ausdemfenster might not want to give us the keys to her cookie-specific email address, if we could get her blessing to continue the tradition using one of our own email addresses and a recreated version of her Google Docs form, perhaps that might work too?
posted by Handcoding at 7:09 PM on November 27, 2018 [1 favorite]

Heard back from ausdemfenster - the batter thickens. Another MeFite contacted her previously and asked if they could take over the cookie swap this year, and she gave her "enthusiastic blessing." Perhaps this person will see this thread and either organize or pass the reins? The person was unnamed in her email.
posted by missmary6 at 8:23 PM on November 27, 2018

Thank you all for looking into this, as the cookie swap is a thing I deeply look forward to, and I have no organizational time or ability. But if others set it up, I will be there and I will mail cookies.
posted by Rush-That-Speaks at 11:11 PM on November 27, 2018 [1 favorite]

missmary6, Hmmm, do you feel like it would be too much pestering to reply to ausdemfenster with a link to this thread and a request that she send it along to that unnamed person? Where we’ve got you and too bad you’re not me ready to jump in (thank you!!!), I’d hate to see it fall by the wayside if that other person has had a change of heart.
posted by daisyace at 5:13 AM on November 28, 2018 [1 favorite]

(I’d reached out to her at the cookieswap gmail a day before posting, didn’t hear back, and didn’t have her personal email. I’m thinking now that maybe I should have tried memail.)
posted by daisyace at 5:19 AM on November 28, 2018

Hi y'all! I'm the unnamed person that reached out to ausdemfenster. Here's what she wrote to me:

"Hey there! I would be thrilled to hand over the cookie swap to another excellent MeFite—thank you so much for offering! I'm here if you want any advice or a rundown of the pitfalls I've noticed in the past few years, but otherwise please take it and run with it :)"

I had reached out to her again to specifically ask about advice/pitfalls, but hadn't heard back. I'll just run with it. I have a crazy morning today, but I will make an official cookie-swap post by the end of the day today.
posted by chara at 6:53 AM on November 28, 2018 [16 favorites]

Huzzah! Thanks to everyone. Looking forward to another awesome cookie swap with you all. :)
posted by miratime at 7:15 AM on November 28, 2018 [1 favorite]

Woo! Thanks, Chara. Looking forward to it!
posted by too bad you're not me at 8:02 AM on November 28, 2018 [1 favorite]

Yay—thanks for doing this, Chara!
posted by Handcoding at 8:29 AM on November 28, 2018

Woo! I am, as ever, super into the cookie swap. Thanks for taking this on, Chara.
posted by Kreiger at 9:16 AM on November 28, 2018

Lovely mefites, the cookie swap is officially underway! https://metatalk.metafilter.com/25016/MeFi-Cookie-Swap-2018
posted by chara at 2:20 PM on November 28, 2018 [4 favorites]

Hooray, thank you so much, chara, and also thank you to missmary6 and too bad you’re not me for having been ready to jump in! Now to start mulling what to bake...
posted by daisyace at 3:09 AM on November 29, 2018