Cream the shortening and sugars together.

Beat eggs in one at a time.

Add milk and vanilla.

Combine flour, baking soda, cream of tarter, and salt in a separate bowl.

Mix with creamed mixture into one until well blended. A dough should form.

Cover and chill for at least an hour (preferably overnight.) If you want a drop cookie, just skip this step.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Separate dough into two balls.

Roll one ball out to about 1/4 inch thickness on parchment paper or a lightly floured surface.

Cut the cookies to desired shapes. Place on ungreased baking sheet.

Decorate cookies with colored sugar, candy, or a simple cinnamon/sugar mix.

Bake for 5-6 minutes or until edges of cookies are golden.

Set out to cool. Once cool you can ice non-decorated cookies.