Cut a 6 1/2- x 4 1/2-inch paper pattern to use as a guide in cutting rectangles for cookie cards.
(Do not use recycled paper.) Draw 2 small circles on top and on one side of pattern to indicate holes for placement of ribbon to tie cookies together for horizontal and vertical cookie cards.
Set aside.
Cream shortening; gradually add sugar, beating at medium speed of an electric mixer until fluffy.
Beat in eggs, vanilla, and orange juice, mixing well.
Combine dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture, mixing well.
Divide dough into thirds, wrap in foil, and chill.
Working with one portion at a time, roll to 1/8-inch thickness on lightly greased and floured cookie sheets.
Cut 8 rectangles using pattern, and cut 4 assorted shapes for top design of cards using cookie cutters.
(Make sure your cookie cutters will fit size of cards.) Remove and reroll scraps of dough.
Cut any leftover dough into extra cookie cutter shapes as desired.
With a drinking straw, punch holes in top or side of cookie rectangles for cards, following holes in paper pattern.
Write desired message in dough on half of rectangular cookies using the point of a wooden pick or other pointed instrument and pressing almost through dough.
Bake all cookies at 350° for 10 to 12 minutes.
Cool cookies on wire racks.
Set aside cookies with inscribed messages.
Remaining cookies will be decorated with Royal Icing.
Color one-third of Royal Icing bright green and one-third red, leaving remaining one-third white.
Keep Royal Icing covered with plastic wrap when not in use.
Spoon white icing into decorating bag fitted with No.
16 star tip.
Pipe a zigzag border around edges of 4 plain rectangle cookies; pipe a small zigzag circle around holes for ribbons, and set aside.
Decorate cookie cutter shapes for tops of cards as desired.
For a boot, pipe a white zigzag border around boot, and pipe fluffy white icing (overlapping zigzag lines) as a boot cuff.
For a striped boot, pipe plain diagonal lines across boot using No.
3 or 4 round tip.
Remaining icing for boot will be completed later.
For a tree, we pipe green icing into fluffy greenery, starting at bottom of cookie, using No.
233 specialty tip.
Attach candies as decorations on tree, and set aside to dry.
Dilute red and green icing with a few drops of water to make icing a smooth flowing consistency.
(When stirred, icing should gradually settle into a smooth top surface.
If icing is too watery, it will not dry properly and may run under outline into other color areas.) Spoon icing into decorating bags fitted with No.
4, 5, 6, 7, or 8 round tips.
Let diluted icing flow from bag within piped outlines of rectangles and boot or other cookie cutouts as desired, smoothing icing into corners using a wooden pick.
For good contrast, pipe red diluted icing on rectangle that will have a green top cookie, and green diluted icing where top cookie will be red.
Let dry overnight.
Cover leftover icing with plastic wrap, and chill.
Carefully attach decorated top cookies onto rectangles using leftover icing.
(If icing is too dry, make a new batch.) Attach assorted candies around cookie cutouts with icing as desired.
Let icing dry thoroughly.
Match decorated cookie rectangles with inscribed cookies.
Tie cookies together loosely with ribbon.