You may want to take time with the kids to decorate traditional sugar cookies using frosting for Christmas.  That takes a long time but is lots of fun for your and them.  However, you may want to go an easier decorating route by making the cookie dough below and letting kids do step six with a little coaching from you.  If you think that glass in sugar step is too messy, you may use a glass with a design on the bottom instead to create a flower or other shape in the top of the cookie without coating it with more sugar.  However, the sugar on top is the "sparkle" of the cookie. 

Tips:  If you want white cookies, leave out the gelatin.  For Christmas colors: if you are making green cookies, sprinkle with red Sugar or vice versa.  You can also make it double green for a St. Patrick's Day or use pastel colors of gelatin and sugar crystals for Easter.  Optionally, you can also make a design on top of Cookie with a fork, small cookie cutter (do not push all the way through) or potato masher.

Holiday Sparkle Cookies

Ingredients:

  3 cups sifted flour
  1 teaspoon baking powder
  1/2 teaspoon salt
  3/4 cup shortening
  1/2 cup sugar
  1 package (3 ounces) fruit flavored gelatin (green or red)
  2 eggs 
  1 teaspoon vanilla
  extra white sugar or colored (red or green) sugar crystals

Steps: 

1. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together shortening and sugar.
3. Add gelatin, eggs, and vanilla to creamed mixture, mixing well.
4. Slowly blend sifted ingredients into creamed mixture to form dough.
5. Shape dough into 1 inch balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet 2 inches apart.
6. Put the extra sugar on a plate, dip a glass in water and then in the sugar so it sticks to glass.  Then pres the glass into cookie balls to flatten the cookie and transfer the sugar to the top of it.  Repeat for every cookie.  
7. Bake at 400 degrees for 6-8 minutes.  Do allow cookie to brown.