Build-Your-Own Hot Chocolate Bar

While we don’t celebrate Christmas in our home, we love making the most of winter whites and holiday cheer! A hot chocolate bar is my new favorite spread for Christmas morning — or any morning, really — as an opportunity to favor our sweet tooth with flavors of the holiday season and warm up to the winter weather. Coconut snow, anyone?

I grabbed a serving dish and accompanying bowls from Bella Vita to build out a chocolate-focused presentation. Mini vases hold cookie sticks and wafers, while stacked marshmallows and macarons around the rims soften the scene with a light-as-a-cloud appearance. If you celebrate Hanukkah, grab a handful of gelt and un-package the wrappers to dot your display with chocolate coins!

For extra winter white decor, these fabric cone trees are just precious! I always grab linen napkins to frame the set-up — whites and light greys felt perfectly appropriate.

I’ve been regularly using the extra-large Alex Marshall mugs for morning coffee and the occasional batch of homemade soup — but after setting up this scene, I think these mugs were made for this!

A Trader Joes’s hot chocolate stick in steamed oak milk comprises my optimal foundation, followed by a few melting macaroons and stir of a waffle cookie to finish. Add a splash of Kahlua for a kick, or order a few hot chocolate bombs from your local bakery if you’re feeling fancy!