1. When choosing festive treats for your box, be sure to choose treats that have a shelf life of more than just a day. It is likely that you or whoever you are gifting this cookie box to will not be able to consume all the cookies in one sitting. Shortbread cookies and sugar cookies are great cookies because they stay fresh longer, especially when stored airtight. Soft ginger molasses cookies are also a great choice because the molasses in them tend to help them stay moist for several days.

2. Choose a variety of cookies. It is nice to have variety of cookies in terms of flavor and shape. If you want to save time and make a full box of shortbread cookies, do not be afraid to have different add-ins in to make different variations of shortbread. You can create one classic shortbread dough, divide up the dough into portions and add different types of nuts, dried fruit, or chocolate into each portion of dough. Using different cookie cutters will also add variety to your box. I also love turning my favorite shortbread cookies into linzer cookies with the addition of jam and a light dusting of icing sugar.

3. If you are decorating sugar cookies for your box, make sure the icing on your cookies are completely dry before you start arranging and stacking your cookies. Patience, always!

4. Since we are on the topic of stacking cookies, be sure to stack the heaviest cookies at the bottom and the lighter, more delicate cookies at the top. 

5. Do not limit yourself to just cookies. Your festive box can be a cookie box or it can be a treat box. Last year I had homemade marshmallows for one compartment of the box and this year I added peppermint chocolate covered pretzels and a jar of mini candy canes to the mix.

Holiday Cookie Box by Constellation Inspiration.