Cream the butter and sugar together. Add in the eggs one at a time, stirring after each addition. Stir in vanilla.
Mix salt and baking soda into flour. Add flour mixture alternately with milk into batter.
Divide dough and form into flat disks. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill at least 1 hour. This dough freezes beautifully.
Roll dough out 1/4 inch thick and cut into shapes. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 – 12 minutes. Bake until edges are slightly golden.
For the frosting, beat butter, milk, powdered sugar, and vanilla with electric mixer until smooth.
The hat is made from sugar wafers, the band on hat and the smile are Twizzlers (pulled apart into individual pieces), the eyes are upside down chocolate chips, the nose is a candy corn and the hair is pieces picked from Kashi GO LEAN Cereal.