For kindergartners, the Christmas season is all about singing, writing, coloring and learning about the holiday. The classroom Christmas party represents a joyful culmination of these activities. Let the snacks and treats offered at your Christmas party set the stage for delicious holiday fun.

Reindeer Cupcakes
These reindeer do not pull Santa's sleigh, but they still put smiles on children's faces. Mix and bake 24 cupcakes with a packaged cake mix, following the package directions. Allow the cupcakes to cool and frost with chocolate frosting. Top with chocolate sprinkles immediately after frosting to ensure that the sprinkles adhere to the cupcakes. Cut 24 large pretzels in half. Place two pretzel pieces on each cupcake to form antlers. Cut 24 miniature marshmallows in half and place the two halves on each cupcake to make eyes. Place a small red gumdrop below the marshmallow eyes to make a nose for each reindeer. Place a red cinnamon candy below the gumdrop nose for each reindeer.

Cookie Cutter Snacks
Prepare sandwiches with preferred ingredients such as peanut butter and jelly, tuna, or ham and cheese. Cut out candy canes, trees, Santa and other desired shapes from the sandwiches with metal cookie cutters. You can also cut holiday shapes from other foods, such as watermelon, cheese and gelatin (preferably red or green).

Crispy Miniature Wreaths
Prepare the recipe for rice crispy treats according to the package directions and add green food coloring to the melted marshmallows. Mix well. Form small wreath shapes with the mixture and place the wreaths on wax paper to avoid sticking. Decorate the wreaths with three small red cinnamon candies and tie a red bow at the top. Wrap each wreath with clear plastic cling wrap and add a length of curling ribbon.

Apricot Chocolate Church Mice
Cats do not give chase to these yummy Christmas mice, but kindergarten children do. To make, set aside 48 dried apricots, 1 tbsp. of vegetable shortening, wooden skewers, 48 M&M mini candies, one package of black shoestring licorice and 24 dry-roasted peanut halves. The recipe makes 24 mice.

Melt one cup of semisweet chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl by microwaving on high for one minute. Stir well and microwave on high for an additional minute. Stir until the chocolate chips appear uniformly melted.

Press together two dried apricots for each mouse and form a point for the mouse's nose. Place the apricot halves on a skewer. Dip the apricot halves into the melted chocolate chips and then place on a wax paper-lined baking sheet. Gently push the mouse off the skewer with a second skewer. Cover the hole left by the skewer by dabbing chocolate with your fingertip on the hole.

Decorate each mouse. Use the M&M candies to make the eyes and a piece of the licorice to form the tail. Break the peanut halves in half to supply tiny ears for each mouse. Place the mice in a refrigerator until set.