Cozy Christmas Hot Cocoa Bar: Easy Tips and Ideas

Setting up a Christmas hot cocoa bar is one of my kids’ favorite things for me to do in our kitchen each holiday season.  I love creating a cute spot in our kitchen with Christmas decor that adds pretty style while also being a simple and functional coffee station and hot cocoa station for our family and guests too.  Try these easy tips and ideas to set up your own cozy Christmas hot cocoa bar this holiday season!

All it took was unpacking the vintage Santa mugs for my younger kiddos to start asking when I was going to get our Christmas hot chocolate bar set up and ready to go!  I love setting up a Christmas hot cocoa bar for our whole family to enjoy during the Christmas and winter season.  Of course, it’s also nice to have already set up and ready for guests or even a little holiday cheer for my kids’ friends who stop by to play.

At the same time, what better way to add some holiday spirit to the kitchen during this time of year?  I love that our hot cocoa station makes the entire kitchen look festive and decorated for the season, even though it’s contained to just a small section of our kitchen countertop!

There are so many fabulous hot chocolate bar ideas out there, ranging from very elaborate party set ups to simple DIY hot chocolate bar spaces for everyday use.  Our own Christmas hot cocoa bar is definitely the later, as we leave it set up all season long.  I want it to look cute and have a festive setting but also be easy to clean and maintain during hot chocolate season!

(Even though one of my children thinks hot chocolate season runs for 365 days of the year!  Haha!)

If you want some ideas of how to create your own hot cocoa bar in a way that is simple and easy to keep up with for the Christmas season, I am sharing my best tips in this post and I hope they give you some fun inspiration today!

Cozy Christmas Hot Cocoa Bar: Easy Tips and Ideas

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​What do you need for a hot chocolate stand?

Let’s start with where you can even put a Christmas hot cocoa bar or hot chocolate stand!  If you are hosting a special event or party, you may choose to set up a pretty table or use a piece of furniture to display the hot chocolate bar party fun!

However, for everyday use, you will want to think of your own hot cocoa bar on a smaller scale and located in a place that is functional and easily accessible.  At the same time, you will want to make sure your hot chocolate station is in a spot where it won’t interfere with any of your holiday baking!

Cue the kitchen island full of iced sugar cookies and chocolate treats!

For our Christmas hot cocoa bar, we use a section of the kitchen countertop that is the “non-busiest” counter space in the room!  This helps me to be able to leave it set up and everyone can enjoy it for the whole season instead of setting up and tearing down just for individual holiday parties.

To give our hot chocolate station a more “displayed” kind of look, I enjoy styling the kitchen counter space with various risers, cake pedestals, Christmas-themed containers, and simple touches of Christmas decorations.

Here are some items that are a good idea to help set up a Christmas hot cocoa bar on an existing kitchen counter, island, bar cart, buffet table, or table:

• Tiered tray
• Serving boards
• Tiered stand
• Mason jars
• Festive mugs
• Containers for hot beverages
• Hot chocolate maker
• Pretty stirring spoons
• Pretty tongs and/or scoops
• Must-have toppings

What do you put on a hot chocolate station?

To begin setting up my Christmas hot cooca bar, I first chose a couple of risers and/or pedestals.  This year, I used a thick vintage bread board and my favorite marble and wood cake pedestal.  Adding levels is always a great way to create displays and a hot chocolate station is no exception!

Secondly, I set up the Keurig that we use to make hot cocoa.  This year, I purchase a new slim Keurig in a pretty white color for our Christmas hot cocoa bar.  It is perfect for everyday use and is more aesthetically pleasing.

If you are hosting a large group, you’ll want to make hot cocoa ahead of time in a crock pot, slow cooker, or large coffee dispenser.  There are a lot of great slow cooker hot chocolate recipes out there.  I really love the one by my friend Leanna, found HERE!

Next, I gathered all of the items that I plan to keep out in our Christmas hot cocoa bar.  Of course, items like freshly baked sweet treats cannot be left sitting out all of the time.  However, I like to include wrapped sweet treats like candy canes, peppermint bark chocolates, and Andes mints to be added to our Christmas hot cocoa bar for a yummy cup of hot cocoa after school or for a movie night in!

One of my favorite ways to both display and contain some of these favorite toppings on our Christmas hot cocoa bar is with a few of my white Christmas house lanterns that coordinate with the houses on the open shelving in the dining room.  There, I keep battery-powered votive candles for a cozy glow in the dining room.  Then, in the kitchen, which is open to the dining room, a few more of the ceramic houses hold candy canes and even disposable coffee cups for when we host larger groups and don’t have enough mugs on the everyday Christmas hot cocoa bar to go around.

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What toppings to put on hot cocoa?

When you are making your own hot chocolate bar, you can think about what kinds of toppings your family will enjoy and pick a few to add.  For a simple hot chocolate station that is left out for everyday use, I like to use individually wrapped toppings or small toppings in sealed jars.  If we are having a Christmas party, I often set out more variety of different toppings and sweet treats on little plates or trays to be used on the Christmas hot cocoa bar during the event!

Here are some of our favorite fun toppings to include in a Christmas hot cocoa bar:

• ​Crushed peppermint pieces
• Gingerbread mug huggers
• Gingerbread man cookies
• Peppermint bark chocolates
• Mini marshmallows
• Seasonal marshmallows
• Chocolate spoons
• Peppermint spoons
• Chocolate hot cocoa spoons
• Peppermint sticks
• Candy canes (large and small)
• Oreos
• Whipped cream
• ​Ground cinnamon
• Christmas sprinkles
• Chocolate chips
• Caramel or chocolate syrup
• Hot cocoa bombs

​What should be included in a hot chocolate bar?

Besides the obvious hot chocolate and fun toppings, I enjoy adding some simple Christmas decor for a hot cocoa station.  You don’t have to add a lot of Christmas decor, but some simple touches can elevate your hot cocoa bar idea and make it feel even more fun and festive!

Here are a few of the kinds of simple decor that I like to add for a cozy Christmas hot cocoa bar:

• ​Festive mugs (I love this Santa mug!)
• Mini Christmas tree
• Fresh evergreen clippings from Christmas trees (pick these up for free at the local tree farm!)
• Fairy lights that run on a timer
• Cute containers to hold the toppings and accessories
• Festive napkins
• Mini mercury glass ornaments scattered around for sparkle
• Pretty syrup bottles for flavors
• Jar sets to contain sweet treats
• Pretty stirring spoons
• ​Small and festive dessert plates
• Cute sign or hot cocoa bar sign

All we are missing now here in South Florida is a cold winter’s day and Christmas break so we can curl up with a delicious mug of hot chocolate, a cozy blanket, and a Hallmark Christmas movie!  Sounds like the perfect day for a Christmas hot cocoa bar, right?!

However, one thing I try to remember is to not wait for the “perfect days”.  There’s really no better time than right now to fix a cup of hot chocolate for my kids and enjoy even a few moments together.  It is the perfect way to make myself slow down and enjoy the special Christmas season!

Wishing you some special moments during this Christmas season, too, and a very Merry Christmas!

​You may also enjoy these blog posts to inspire your Christmas home decor:

• Simple & Natural French Country Christmas Decor Ideas
• Easy Ways to Style a Christmas Mantel with Vintage Decor Ideas
• How to Mix Old and New Christmas Decor: Home Tour
• How to Hang Christmas Garland on a Mantel: 6 Easy Steps
• 21 Favorite Christmas Decor Ideas for Your Home
• 30 Easy Ideas for Non Christmas Winter Decorating
• 5 Budget-Friendly Christmas Front Porch Decorating Ideas for a Festive Entry
• Simple Tips for Christmas Coffee Table Decor Ideas
• Easy Ideas to Decorate a Console Table for Christmas

I’d love for you to follow me on social media!  You can find my home decor inspiration on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!  

Blessings,

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