People: Taylor Swift is no longer a teen: The country superstar marked turning 20 with a Christmas-themed birthday party for friends, her band and her tour crew at her family’s home in Hendersonville, Tenn.

“It’s more like an end-of-year Christmas party that happens to be on my birthday,” says Swift, who spent the night before at home, baking butter cookies and gingerbread cookies with cream-cheese icing for her guests.

The biggest gift came from Swift herself. The singer has donated $250,000 to schools around the country that she’s either attended or worked with. The money will pay teachers’ salaries as well as buy books and fund various educational programs.

“Something I wanted to do at the end of this amazing year and especially on my birthday was give back to something I really believe in, which is education,” says Swift. “The schools that I went to and the amazing people I got to learn from really turned me into who I am, and I wanted to give back.”