National Cookie Day
Food DaysWhat Is National Cookie Day?
December 4th is National Cookie Day. Originating in the United States, the observance in its current form is traced to December 4, 1987, when Matt Nader of San Francisco's Blue Chip Cookie Company began celebrating it.
A Cookie Monster Prehistory
The day has an earlier chapter: in 1976, Sesame Street's Cookie Monster is said to have put a cookie day on the calendar. What fixed the observance to December 4th, however, was the effort begun in 1987.
- Formal name: National Cookie Day (United States)
- Point of establishment: December 4, 1987, celebrated by Matt Nader of Blue Chip Cookie
- Prehistory: Sesame Street's Cookie Monster reportedly added it to a calendar in 1976
- Timing: early December, overlapping with the Christmas baking season
Placed in Christmas Cookie Season
Early December is when Western households start baking for Christmas. Gingerbread, sugar cookies and other cut-out shapes made for decorating are staples of the season. In Japan too, more families bake at home around Advent calendars and Christmas gatherings.
Tips for Marking This Day
- Bake cut-out cookies and try decorating them for Christmas
- Buy a packet of cookies and pair them with coffee or tea
- Read up on Christmas baked goods such as gingerbread
- Consider cookies for a year-end gift to colleagues or family
The Day the Baking Season Properly Begins
National Cookie Day sits at the threshold of the busiest baking weeks of the year. December 4th is a good day to plan what comes out of your oven this season.