Nothing sends a cheery holiday message more quickly than homemade cookies. These ABC’s will give morsels from your kitchen a little extra flair.

a) Dip the tines of a fork into melted chocolate and drizzle it back and forth over shortbread or other buttery bites for a sophisticated touch.

b) To make your own colored sugar, put one half a cup of sugar into a container with a tight-fitting lid, add a drop of food coloring and shake well. Shake in more drops until you reach the desired color intensity.

c) Give gingerbread people hair by squeezing a little dough through a garlic press to make strands.