The annual cookie party is all set to be awesome this year, and hopefully there will be fewer gluttonous cookie hoarders.

“There’s plenty of cookies to go around,” said Molly Berry, director of inclusion in the Inclusion and Student Engagement department, who is coordinating the party, “My big message this year is that I’m hoping people aren’t gluttonous, because we got into a bit of an issue last year where we ran out of cookies and it was the first year that’s ever happened.”

The cookie party began 80 years ago as the Christmas Tea, a tradition started by secretaries and wives of Millikin faculty. Eventually, the party began to allow students to join in on the fun, at the same time becoming more cookie-centric and less about tea. Today, the cookie party is a celebration of the holidays and end of the semester, with cookies, punch, and music.

Last year, 5500 cookies disappeared within an hour of the party’s opening. “People were coming in with Tupperware and big plates and walking out and that’s not going to happen this year,” Berry said.

So what’s the protocol this year for stopping excessive cookie eaters?

“We’re encouraging people to take two or three cookies instead of six or seven cookies,” Berry said.

The cookies, made almost exclusively by Millikin staff, faculty and alumni, will be brought out in shifts throughout the day. Berry says they never know what kind of cookies they’ll be until they’re there.

“We might get a thousand chocolate chip cookies, and that’s always the challenge,” Berry said. To counteract the potential chocolate saturation, Berry asks certain cookie providers to bring other, colorful types of cookies to keep the tables looking diverse and appetizing.

Still, Berry’s number one priority is ensuring everyone gets a taste of the baked goods.

“I’m just hoping everyone can enjoy it this year instead of running out within the first hour.”

The cookie party will be in lower RTUC on December 6th at 2pm.