Do you have a Christmas Eve family tradition? We have a few and one of my favorites is our Annual Hot Cocoa Party! We like to get ready for Santa’s visit with a little party for the kids where we enjoy cookies and cocoa with all the fixings. We also usually bake a bunch of cookies for Santa and construct our gingerbread houses during the party while our favorite Christmas movie plays in the background. Attire is super casual for this festive event; we attend in our Christmas pajamas and Santa’s hats! Even with my older sons now being big teenagers, they still have fun partaking in the festivities.
Decorations: This year's theme is "Candy Cane Christmas" so naturally I picked red and white as my main colors. I started with hanging red tulle as my backdrop with a coordinating hot cocoa-themed banner. Next, I set out a heap of cookies and our pajama-wearing Santa as the main focal point for the table. How cute are his Rudolph slippers and hot cocoa?
Every cocoa bar needs fixings and my boys love all things peppermint and marshmallows. I filled a Glass Jar Set with Red Mini Twisty Pops, Red Candy Sticks and mini marshmallows. 
I don't know about you, but I always like to serve something salty like popcorn to offset the sweets. I filled Mini Red & White Striped Popcorn Boxes with buttery popcorn. 
The White Winter Mugs are perfect for a generous cup of cocoa. I attached Hard Candy Peppermint Spoons with Baker's Twine. How cute are those spoons? They are my favorite detail. 
Brownies are a family favorite, so I made sure we had plenty of Candy Cane Brownies. Get the recipe HERE. 
Table Settings: Instead of chargers, I layered Candy Cane Dessert Plates on top of Hanging Peppermint Swirl Decorations. Aren't they cute? 
I made Christmas Tree Candy Cups for each place setting and filled them with Red Gummy Teddy Bears. See my tutorial HERE. 
I also embellished Frosty White Coffee Cups to match our theme. By using my craft vinyl, my Sizzix Big Shot and the Snowflakes Thinlits Die Set I was able to create these custom cups. Try using blue, or green cups to switch up the look of your holiday table. This small DIY project only took minutes and really transformed a simple white cup! 
Photo booth props are always fun! These Red & White Costume Photo Stick Props matched my decorations perfectly! 
I'd say we're all ready for Santa's visit! What do you think? Be sure to check out my tutorials for Christmas Tree Candy Cups and Candy Cane Brownies as well.
