It has become an annual tradition for me to host a hot cocoa holiday party (booze optional.) It has gotten a little more simplified and elegant as the time has gone by. This year was a little moody and very cozy. The first time I did it, I made a complicated crock pot hot cocoa recipe. While it was good, it was really rich and most people had a small cup and then wanted to move on to something else.
Now, I put more energy into making it easy to self serve and just have a few gourmet hot cocoa mixes with a couple thermos’ of hot water to make your own. If you want to cut down on the prep for yourself, you could have all guests bring a holiday mug to exchange. Assigning spirits also helps cut down on the amount, and can have people sign up for things such as Bailey’s Irish Cream, Peppermint Schnapps, Vanilla Vodka, etc.
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Shopping List
- Chocolate chips (We did mint, cinnamon, and mini semi-sweet)
- Festive Marshmallows (Trees, Snowflakes, Snowmen, Chocolate-dipped, Peppermint) Crate & Barrel and World Market usually have a great selection of these types of items during the holidays.
- Holiday Sprinkles (We got one with mini-Christmas trees and one with mini gingerbread men)
- A nice hot cocoa mix – I like to also have a sugar-free option on to cut down on all the sugar since everything else is very sugary
- Festive Stirrers (chocolate, peppermint)
- Cookies – I got gingerbread and butter shortbread cookies
- Whipped Cream – I get a low carb store bought whipped cream
- Mini scoops – I got mine at the Container Store
- Ramekins or other small serving dishes for topping
Since my place is very limited on space, I always use my tiered tray stand to maximize space. If I don’t have enough items to fill the top tier, I will decorate it with flowers, party favors or in this case a mini winter village with LED candles to add some ambience.
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