It’s December, up here in Canada it’s starting to get cold. One of my favourite ways to celebrate the season is to set up a hot chocolate bar, whether it be for a work potluck, evening party or just a weekend treat. Overall it’s a cute look at a very low cost.

Obviously the first thing to buy is hot chocolate. You can buy different flavours, but I tend to stick to basic since there will be a lot of options to mix in.

Ingredient Ideas include:

• Marshmallows
• White chocolate chips
• toffee pieces
• caramel
• peppermint chips
• peanut butter chips
• chopped nuts
• coconut
• candy canes
• cinnamon sticks
• praline sticks
• Whipped cream

Once you the ingredients you think will offer a good variety, there’s a lot of ways to dress this up. I recommend checking out the dollar store for ideas, but will give you a list of items I chose.

I bought glass containers for the hot chocolate and marshmallows. Then I bought some decorative paper cups to hold the separate ingredients. Last year I had a tray to put everything on, this year I went with a snowflake theme and used a table runner instead. This was strategically set up the same day we had a baking potluck. A winning combination.

To take it up a little further, there are embellishments that can be added, ribbons around the containers and labels for the ingredients. Really the sky’s the limit for how festive you’d like to make it. If it’s an adult event a bottle of bailey’s doesn’t hurt either.

Overall, if you shop smart this set up will look great and won’t break the bank. A nice way to offer your friends and family a warm and cosy taste of Christmas.