Hot Chocolate Station

[ParadiseLaundry]

Is anyone doing a hot chocolate station/bar this year?

What have you got on it? Pictures welcome!

I'm in the process of putting mine together but it feels a bit underwhelming so looking for ideas!

@SpangoDweller

Oh hush *@HolidayTime2021*, it’s a nice thing for the Christmas season. A more family-friendly version of a sherry table.

This thread might be Peak Mumsnet!! I’m all over the hot chocolate station but a Sherry table…

Just thought of another thing I’m adding to mine - edible glitter!

There was a bit of a phase for glittery coffee that didn’t quite go mainstream a few years ago, I’ve been hankering after one ever since

I've got everything ready and we set ours up on 1 December along with the kids' advent calendars.

I've got Cadburys hot choc, choc orange and Galaxy hot choc, squirty cream, mini marshmallows, mini cookies, choc chip & toffee toppings, candy canes and cinnamon spekulatius. Then I've got some tinsel, a snow globe, elf and this sign to pop with it all.

This is ours
Hot chocolate powder
Candy canes
Flakes
Fudge pieces
Honeycomb pieces
Snowmen marshmallow
Snowmen faces marsh mallows
Mini marshmallows

The chocolate stirring sticks from primark haven't gone dish well. Apparently taste of wood (the spoon)

I've never heard of this before but love hot choc

Well, now I want a hot chocolate station and...a sherry table? I have things to Google.

@christmaself2020

This is ours Hot chocolate powder Candy canes Flakes Fudge pieces Honeycomb pieces Snowmen marshmallow Snowmen faces marsh mallows Mini marshmallows

The chocolate stirring sticks from primark haven't gone dish well. Apparently taste of wood (the spoon)

This is fab! I love the little stand and the lights!

@pizzaobsessed

I've got everything ready and we set ours up on 1 December along with the kids' advent calendars.

I've got Cadburys hot choc, choc orange and Galaxy hot choc, squirty cream, mini marshmallows, mini cookies, choc chip & toffee toppings, candy canes and cinnamon spekulatius. Then I've got some tinsel, a snow globe, elf and this sign to pop with it all.

I love this sign! I need a sign. I quite fancy making one, I'm going to have a look for some ideas.

@RaisedByPangolins

There was a bit of a phase for glittery coffee that didn’t quite go mainstream a few years ago, I’ve been hankering after one ever since

I love the glitter! Everything is better with glitter. I remember a few years ago Costa did a little shimmer powder they put on some of their drinks but I don't think they've done it this year.

@dontletthemugglesgetyoudownn I've seen them, they look amazing but I don't think I could justify the costs even second hand!

Can anyone recommend candy canes that actually taste of peppermint? I’d love to get one to stir into hot choc but they always seem completely tasteless!

How much hot chocolate does everyone drink?! If I did this for my family, the teenagers would be on seven a day by Christmas Eve, I would pick at the toppings every day, and DH would take handfuls of marshmallows every time he passed.

There would be a trail of sticky destruction through the whole house, we would all be bankrupt from replenishing supplies, and I'd need an HGV licence to drive the family car with everyone in it.

To answer a few questions, yes, my family do enjoy and appreciate it. My older DS's was particularly excited about it. I would have loved something like it when I was little.

The kids might have a hot chocolate a couple of times a week, me and DH once a week or so. About as often as as they would have an ice lolly in the summer. We are all slim and healthy and have a good diet.

I have the time to do it because it's a hobby and most people have time for a small hobby. I have enjoyed collecting used candle jars and making labels and bows to put on them, looking for old mismatched Xmas mugs in charity shops and making the hot chocolate mix and stirrers and baking the gingerbread biscuits. It might not be some people's idea of a good hobby, they might be into cycling or card making or bird spotting but, you know, we're all different and enjoy different things.

All it pretty much is are a few pretty decorated jars and decorations next to the existing coffee machine.

I have plenty of space for it anyway as I don't have a fruit bowl....

@Shantotto the mini ones I got from the pound shop are very minty. They're too minty for my kids!

deplorabelle mine too - that station would be empty within an hour.

Its a nice ideafor a party or one specific evening with a film, but how can it survive if just left up with the intention its always available? I do have 3 teens admittedly, including one who's growing so fast atm he's skinny as a rake despite inhaling junk, but he has a preference for sugar and toast and pastries and wouldn't eat proper meals if there were a constantly replenished source of marshmallows, whipped cream and cubes of chocolate...

@AnneShirleysNewDress

Orange Truffle Baileys and cream is all you need

Hang on, back up. Orange truffle baileys? How did I not know about this.

"Sherry Station", never mind the hot chocolate one, am now thinking of refreshing a soon to be disused hall cupboard as a Drinks Station and moving round some furniture in the kitchen to fit it in.
Never a good thing browsing mumsnet at lunchtime

@UntilYourNextHairBrainedScheme

deplorabelle mine too - that station would be empty within an hour.

Its a nice ideafor a party or one specific evening with a film, but how can it survive if just left up with the intention its always available? I do have 3 teens admittedly, including one who's growing so fast atm he's skinny as a rake despite inhaling junk, but he has a preference for sugar and toast and pastries and wouldn't eat proper meals if there were a constantly replenished source of marshmallows, whipped cream and cubes of chocolate...

I do sort of get this concern but I wasn't really a problem last year, apart from maybe a few requests for a couple of marshmallows just before dinner was ready when they were starving. They are probably still little enough to not just help themselves to food, eg the box with the crisps/crackers snack type this is stored within their reach but they never help themselves and only sometimes ask.

Love this. They're going to have to show horn me out of my front door in January at this rate.

@fitflopqueen

"Sherry Station", never mind the hot chocolate one, am now thinking of refreshing a soon to be disused hall cupboard as a Drinks Station and moving round some furniture in the kitchen to fit it in. Never a good thing browsing mumsnet at lunchtime

The sherry table was a staple in my mum’s house for Christmas week in the late 1990s/early 2000s. Decanted port and sherry, a selection of crystal glassware, and a small plate of mince pies, crisps and other festive treats. Room for more to be laid out if there was planned entertaining, but useful to have on standby if anyone called round with an Xmas card. I loved the idea, if not the drinks!

@deplorabelle

How much hot chocolate does everyone drink?! If I did this for my family, the teenagers would be on seven a day by Christmas Eve, I would pick at the toppings every day, and DH would take handfuls of marshmallows every time he passed.

There would be a trail of sticky destruction through the whole house, we would all be bankrupt from replenishing supplies, and I'd need an HGV licence to drive the family car with everyone in it.

HGV licence 🤣😂🤣

Oh lovely. I’m going to appropriate this idea for our Dutch sinterklaas on the 5th December. Especially as we haven’t been able to stock up on Dutch snacks and treats this year.

@christmaself2020 that is a brilliant station! I love the little chalkboards on it. I think I spy the hot choc mug decoration in the corner too, as I've just got that one for our tree this year. I love the suggestions for the little gingerbread men, too!

4 year old DS has a HUGE thing about hot chocolate, so of course from last year we started doing a hot choc station for fun. I secretly love it, haha. This is ours this year. Pretty simple compared to a lot of others, just hot chocolate powders (we all like different flavours), marshmallows, sprinkles, candy canes (for DS) and Christmas paper straws from Home Bargains also for DS as he hates drinking from the mug when there are marshmallows on top (sensory issues). I've got some snowman and penguin marshmallows as well, but these come out closer to Christmas. We've also got the squirty cream on hand in the fridge!

That's so cute @GhostOfChristmasPudding! I love how you've repurposed the jars and added labels, lovely!

I needs some fairy light in mine too. I haven't got the Xmas decs out yet so I'll see what we have when we do.

@ParadiseLaundry

That's so cute *@GhostOfChristmasPudding*! I love how you've repurposed the jars and added labels, lovely!

I needs some fairy light in mine too. I haven't got the Xmas decs out yet so I'll see what we have when we do.

Thank you! I've got to do something with all those curry sauce jars I keep collecting. Jars are the only thing I hoard and never do much with until the hot chocolate comes out. 🤣