Sipping on hot cocoa is a quintessential holiday tradition. It is a staple for many of our family outings during the holidays. You can read more about those on DIY Christmas Tree Advent Calendar. If you are hosting any type of gathering this season, a hot cocoa bar is an easy way to keep guests’ thirst quenched. It doesn’t hurt that the kids will love it, too. To help newbies, like me, here are some easy tips for how to set up a hot cocoa bar.

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Welcome to the third annual 12 Days of Christmas Blog Hop!

Stop by every day from December first through the twelfth for new ideas you can use to make your season brighter!

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They have all been busy as Elves creating, decorating, cooking and crafting tons of new ideas for you to try this holiday season!

Shirley~Intelligent Domestications I Alli~An Alli Event I Michelle~Our Crafty Mom I Marie~DIY Adulation

Erlene~My Pinterventures I Beverly~Across The Blvd. I Debra~Shoppe No. 5 I Victoria~Dazzle While Frazzled

Megan~C’mon Get Crafty I Michelle~Michelle James Designs I Amanda~Domestically Creative

Deborah~Salvage Sister & Mister I Jeanie~Create & Babble I Sherry~Olives & Okra

Jenny~Cookies Coffee & Crafts I Emily~Domestic Deadline I Bonbon~Farmhouse 40

Leanna~Of Faeries & Fauna I Pam Larmore~P.S. I Love You Crafts I Kelly~North Country Nest I

Marie~The Inspiration Vault I Gail~Purple Hues and Me I Lynne~My Family Thyme I

Karen~Dragonfly and Lily Pads I Trisha~Blowing Away Out West Lorrin~Embrace The Perfect Mess I

Terri~Christmas Tree Lane I Sam~Raggedy Bits I Cyn~Creative Cynchronicity Valeria~Val Event Gal

Yami~The Latina Next Door I Tania~Little Vintage Cottage I Lauren~Wonderfully Made

Vanessa~DIY 180 I Kimberly~A Wonderful Thought I Kim~Everyday Parties I Dru~Polka Dot Poplars

[bctt tweet=”Don’t miss these easy tips for how to set up a #hotcocoabar for your next party.” username=”diyadulation”]

Have Mugs Accessible

Make your mugs easily accessible to guests. We have this awesome DIY coffee mug organizing rack. You could also use mug trees to display mugs. These may need to be filled up throughout the night.

Utilize Your Coffee Maker

Run water through your coffee maker without grounds for hot water. The warming feature will help keep it that way and re-fills are a breeze. If you prefer milk to water, use a Crock-Pot to warm the milk and keep it that way.

Offer Options

There are so many great flavor options when it comes to hot cocoa. Make your life easier by offering one hot cocoa mix but plenty of flavorful extras for guests to customize their drinks. Some flavor ideas to help you:

Candy Canes

Cinnamon/Cinnamon Sticks

Mini Marshmallows

Caramels

Mint Chocolate

Whipped Cream

Stirrers

When you add mix-ins to your hot cocoa don’t forget something to stir it with. Use plastic spoons, wooden stirrers, or even paper straws for a festive touch. Make sure that you have plenty of extras. Remember that each guest will likely need multiples.

Keep Décor Simple

Don’t feel the need for elaborate décor on your hot cocoa bar. Use festive wrapping paper as a tablecloth, add a wreath to your organizer (or wall) as I did, and let your cocoa bar do the rest. It doesn’t need a lot of bells and whistles to be beautiful.

Now that you know how to set up a hot cocoa bar easily, you can pull it out for every holiday function effortlessly. We even made a family night out of it as part of our Advent this year. That’s how easy it is. You can get more ideas for hot cocoa bars that fit your style from my friends below. They are full of delicious and beautiful ideas that you’ll love. Which one is your favorite? Let me know in the comments!

See where I’m linking up!

Be sure to visit our fellow 12 Days of Christmas Bloggers below for even more creative ideas this holiday season!