The tantalizing smell of gooey chocolate chips, sweet dusted sugar, caramelizing butter and warm spices filling the air- you know it’s the holidays. Holiday traditions vary from person to person, but one universal commonality is a love of winter cookies. From the classic chocolate chip to the spicy snickerdoodle, each one brings something special to this time of year. We all have a favorite, but what does your favorite holiday cookie say about you? 

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE- A classic American favorite, for a classic person. You are a holiday traditionalist, who finds comfort in all the quintessential moments of the holidays. Tradition is the backbone of your celebrations. Whether it is putting up a tree, going sledding, or caroling on a cold night, you love nothing more than checking off every memory-making moment on your holiday “to-do” list. 

Fact: The United States alone eats a grand total of approximately 7 billion chocolate chip cookies per year! 

SUGAR COOKIE- These sweet, colorful cookies reveal a true kid at heart. You’re easily enticed by the bright colors, sparkling lights, and fun events of the holidays. Nothing is more fun to you than getting in snowball fights or unwrapping a bunch of presents. No matter your age, you will always find a pure happiness in the exciting events of the season, be it buying goofy wrapping paper or swiping bits of cookie dough when you’re not supposed to! 

Fact: Before they came to be known as the classic “sugar cookie”, they went by many names- such as plunkets, crybabies, jumbles, and gimblettes. 

GINGERBREAD- Nothing encapsulates the holidays as well as a smiling, spicy gingerbread man, and no other cookie represents the personality of a holiday fanatic better. When it comes to getting into the “spirit of the season”, you go all out! Nobody’s house is as decorated as yours, and no one bakes as nearly many festive treats. Warm and inviting, you are the center of every celebration. Decking yourself in holiday colors, organizing specialized playlists, binging Hallmark’s “Countdown to Christmas” movie marathons- nobody celebrates the holidays quite like you! 

Fact: In ritual or celebratory ceremonies, the Greek and Egyptians used gingerbread baked into hard “cookies”, which was its main purpose from 2400 BCE to the 1600s CE before it became popularized in Europe as a tasty treat. 

PEANUT BUTTER KISSES- Just like these cookies with a gooey chocolate center, you have a soft heart filled with love for your family and friends. To you, the best part about the holidays is being able to spend quality time with those you love. Nothing makes you happier than creating joyful memories for you to look back on. You’re big on carefully selecting presents with deep and thoughtful meaning that expresses your affection for your loved ones during this time of year. All the celebrations are wonderful, but it is the people that make it count for you. 

Fact: No one, not even Hershey factory workers, know why Hershey Kisses are called what they are! Milton Hershey never revealed the reason, but it is thought that they earned their namesake from the “kissy” noise the machine makes as it plops out chocolate candies. 

SNICKERDOODLES- These unsuspecting cookies always seem sweet and mild, yet they hold more spice to them than you would think! Just like your cookie, you are a mysterious person who surprises those around you. Sure, you may enjoy the more mild-mannered aspects of the holidays, like reading by a cozy fire or singing along to your favorite festive jams. However, you can catch people by surprise with your wild streak- why not go sled down a massive hill after a huge snow, or buy a bunch of ridiculous gag gifts? With your hidden depths, life is never boring around you! 

Fact: It is believed that the name of this crackly cookie came from its birthplace in Germany, where it was adapted from the German word “schneckennudeln”. 

NO-BAKE COOKIES- What kind of cookie doesn’t require the classic baking of the holidays? A non-traditional one, of course, for a non-traditional person! You don’t conform to the usual bits and baubles of the holiday season. Rather, you like to stand out and make the season unusual and exciting for both yourself and those around you. Traditional colors, stuffy carols, tried-and-true gifts are never what you go for. Why follow tradition when you can make each and every season wild and different? 

Fact: These cookies are made with oats instead of your traditional wheat flour, which makes for a fiber-filled cookie that will keep you fuller for longer, especially when combined with the protein in the peanut butter! Now, the sugar is less healthy… but this cookie packs a surprising punch!