One of the latest trends in get-togethers is to host a hot chocolate bar party where you and your guests have an excuse to gather around something sweet and chocolatey. The 6 key ingredients to knock an event like this outa’ the park, includes creating a special guest list, sending out fancy invitations, nailing down which delicious treats you want to serve, deciding where to stage the entertaining experience, knowing how to style it to suit your fancy, and the oh-so-fun activities you can incorporate.
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This post is all about how to host a hot chocolate bar party.
Special Guest List
Use this hot chocolate bar party as an opportunity to show your love and appreciation to those who are in your life. It’s the little things that can mean the world to people.
You can invite friends you are close with for more great conversations, or maybe think about gathering those that you’d like to get to know a little better. Even a mix of the two can be fun and open up doors for a deeper connection. I feel like these post-covid days require deeper connections again.
Decide how many people you want to have over and invite a few more. On average, 60% of people will show up to a party, so it’s best to invite a few more people than you anticipate coming.
Once you decide on how many people you can accommodate, decide on whom you want to come, gather their contact information, and create your guest list.
Fancy Invitations
Receiving a special invitation in the mail feels like someone is offering you a huge compliment. So why not invest in invitations that “complement” how you plan to style your gathering? When you put thoughts and intentionality into deciding what they will look like, this is the start of making your guests feel welcomed, honored, appreciated, and well-loved.
I love it when a party has a seamless flow from start to finish. Finding just the right invites that highlight the theme of the party is the start of this process.
When going the virtual route, you can embellish your email or text with a complimenting GIF. Something along the lines of a cup of hot cocoa with steam streaming out would be super cute and very festive.
Delicious Treat Ideas to Serve
Hot Chocolate
Hot chocolate is essential when hosting a hot chocolate bar party. If you have the time and can make yours from scratch, that is always a huge win. Click here for my homemade hot chocolate recipe.
Time is a precious commodity for all of us, so if you don’t have the extra time, no worries! You can find yummy hot chocolate mixes in paper sleeves, coffee pods, tall containers, and hot chocolate bombs. I love the flavor of Swiss Miss, Trader Joe’s, and Starbucks hot chocolate mixes.
What are the best options for serving your hot chocolate? I’m so glad you asked. You can serve the hot chocolate goodness in a warming carafe, electric coffee maker, percolator, or large teapot, or go old-school and scoop it right out of the pot it was warmed up or cooked in.
A pod coffee maker can make delicious hot chocolate in two separate ways. It can steam the water for you as you leave the pod compartment empty and just let the water flow through to the coffee mug. Or, you can put a hot chocolate pod in and serve the cuppa’ Cho (that’s my version of cuppa’ Joe, but for hot chocolate-Lol) right from the coffee maker.
Sweet Treats
Here is the list of sweet treats, mostly cookies, that we served at our hot chocolate bar party. Feel free to use these ideas too, or serve what you and your guests prefer.
- Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate-Covered Graham Crackers
- Chocolate Covered Marshmallows
- Butter Cookies
- Ghirardelli Chocolate Squares
- Chocolate Wafer Rolls
- Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter Cookies
Toppings
Including toppings will turn your guest’s mugs of goodness into MUG MASTERPIECES. Anyone can pour a simple cup of hot chocolate. But when you add the treats on top, it makes the simple drink taste more like a special dessert. Here are the toppings we chose.
- Peppermints
- Peppermint Sticks
- Marshmallows
- White Chocolate Chips
- Bittersweet Chocolate Chips
- Caramels
- Whipped Cream
- Carmel Sauce
More Sweet Supply Ideas
- Hot Chocolate Bombs
- Chocolate Covered Stirring Spoons
- Butterscotch Chips
- Peppermint Bark
- Candy Canes
- Marshmallow Fluff
- Candy Cane Peeps
- Toffee Bits
- Flavored Syrups
- Sprinkles
- Cinnamon Sticks
Trendy Style Options
Counter or Table
Where are you drawn to in your kitchen space that would be conducive for staging your party? Start there!
If you have little ones and need something a little higher off the floor so they don’t get their tiny hands on the décor and treats, the counter or table would be the best way to go.
Random thought tangent– I remember having to place the ornaments on our Christmas tree a little higher than usual when each of our girls graduated to the title of “crawler.” So, I get the style-high essential piece.
Have you ever seen tablecloths that are super stretchy spandex and cover the top as well as the legs of a fold-up table? These are AWESOME because it hides the table completely.
Your guests won’t even notice that you just pulled it out of your basement to be the stage for the goodies, when you have it covered in one of these table top essentials.
Bar Cart
Many of you know, bar carts are a FAVORITE platform of mine to style parties on. You can move them anywhere in the house and decorate them, tiny-house style.
Allow your creative juices to flow if you want to go with staging your party on a smaller bar cart frame. You can add more height and storage space with tiered trays and footed platters, as we did.
Charcuterie Style
This hot trend in staging food “cluster style” is one that will be around for a LONG time. You just need a charcuterie board big enough to display your yummies. If you don’t have a “board”, do not fret. A simple cutting board will suit the display as well.
What do you think about my first attempt at styling a charcuterie board? I like to think of it more along the lines of a board that compliments your cup of hot cocoa.
Trust me, if I can do it, you can too!
Here are some tips I learned.
- Start with an odd number of bowls, if using bowls, for smaller items.
- Stage the larger items first.
- Try to keep similar items away from each other.
- Add the smallest foods at the end to fill in the extra spaces.
Oh-So-Fun Activities
Game Ideas
Getting together and having a great conversation is always wonderful. If you are looking for another layer of entertainment to add in, here are more ideas.
- Christmas Word Scramble
- Christmas Trivia
- Christmas Bingo
- Playing Cards
- Making Homemade Ornaments
- Watching a Christmas Movie
- Sledding (If there’s snow and depending on the age of the group)
- Would You Rather Game
- Design and Frost Mini Ginger Bread Houses
- Fill Out Christmas Cards
- Christmas Caroling
- Holiday Charades
Click the Pic to Shop the Post
More Posts You Might Want to Check Out
Sweetest Dani Mar Coffee Bar Ideas
Sweet, Savor, and Simple Brunch Ideas
5 Simple Tips for Your Christmas Tablescape
Hosting a hot chocolate bar party can be a gathering that brings you and your friends together over sweet chocolatey drinks, treats, conversation, good times, and fun. I hope you feel inspired and empowered to create your own beautiful hot chocolate bar in your home. Feel free to give your thoughts about the post, or pictures from your party, in the comments so we can share them with others on Instagram and Facebook.
P.S. A Note of Encouragement
My auntie Janet sent me a word of encouragement this week and I’d love to share it with you. She gave details about the desires in our hearts that seem like they will never be accomplished. It can feel overwhelming and discouraging.
What we need to remember is, sometimes it just takes one baby step to get the ball rolling. Do you know about the question, “How do you eat an elephant?” One bite at a time! The goal of finishing a project might seem way too big, which can sometimes lead to procrastination.
If we can take a small step towards the target, keeping in mind that the project or goal probably won’t be fully finished today, that mindset shift can make today so much more fruitful. If anything, it leads to SOMETHING, rather than nothing.
Give yourself some grace, just like Jesus gives every single day. If you have something on your mind that you wish you could accomplish, take one step toward seeing it become a reality. Just one! It doesn’t have to be the entire 430 steps (totally pulling that number out of the air-Lol!)
You will be encouraged in the ONE step which will become the fuel you need to take the second. Eat the elephant one bite (one step) at a time. I believe in you! You CAN totally do this! Just believe in yourself, too!