With an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Combine.
Cover and chill for one hour or more.
Preheat oven to 400℉.
Roll out dough on floured surface to ¼ inch thick or slightly thinner with floured rolling pin. Cut into star shapes with cookie cutter. Place one inch apart on parchment paper lined cookie sheet. I used metal shish kabob skewers to fold an "arm" down on each star and hold a place for the flag pick to be added after baking. This required the cookies to be in straight rows so they were all lined up to share skewers. I also flipped the cookie sheet upside down so I could pull the skewers straight out and not have to clear the rim of the cookie sheet which would have torn the cookies. (You could also use a metal toothpick or a wooden toothpick soaked for 15 minutes in water.)
Bake 6 to 8 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.
Immediately slide out skewers or toothpicks and replace with the flag picks.
Add white sparkling sugar sprinkles.
Let cool and then finish by adding faces with black edible marker. Enjoy!
