Holiday Beverage Ideas & A Hot Cocoa Party

Cocoa by the fire :)

A couple of summers ago, I read a book that hipped me to the term hygge (pronounced hoo-ga), which essentially takes everything I love and gives it a name. Twinkle lights, fires, warm mugs, cozy gatherings with good conversation and laughter, sweets, and snow all fall under the umbrella of hygge.

I had this urge to throw a hot chocolate party-- people come over, drink cocoa, consume decadent desserts, play games, and enjoy one another's company. Shelley was understandably concerned about the idea of having too many people crammed into our tiny home, but I was convinced it would be fine (this is how much of our life goes-- she's practical, I'm a dreamer; we balance each other out).

We had some of our nearest and dearest over and it was everything I imagined it would be. We had cinnamon sticks, peppermint sticks, Christmas sprinkles, marshmallows, and whipped cream (and one friend brought peppermint Kahlua), plus myriad desserts. This was our second year doing this, and thankfully someone brought chips & dip to balance out all that sugar!

There was something so perfect about the people I love most in the same place, passing around a plain peach candle hot potato style to a game I made up (watch this for some insight) and hoping not to be stuck with this $1 candle at the end, or using oven mitts to unwrap a bunch of junk food from a cellophane ball, and voting on best mugs and sweaters. It made me truly connect to all of those Christmas songs about friends singing and gathering around the tree, cast in the warm glow of the twinkle lights we have everywhere.

For the cocoa, Shelley made up her own recipe-- use a crock pot and melt chocolate morsels into a gallon of whole milk. Add a splash of vanilla extract and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

I've also been into the idea of trying wassail. Shelley and I have been to see "A Musical Christmas Carol" downtown a couple of times, and there is a song where they sing about wassailing. The olden days version does not interest me AT ALL-- curdled milk and whisked eggs, no thanks.
We perused a few more modern recipes and played around with combinations until we came up with one that is perfect!


Using a crock pot on high, combine 20 whole cloves, 6 cinnamon sticks, a gallon of apple cider, a handful of cranberries, and a half cup of brown sugar. Leave it in there for about two hours, then add a container of orange juice concentrate. Let that go for another hour or so, stirring occasionally.

When you serve it, pour in a finger or two of cognac, toss in about 6 cranberries, and a cinnamon stick or orange peel for garnish (obviously the family friendly version is to do the same thing sans-cognac). We also tried it out with half red wine, half wassail, which created a nice winter sangria effect.

"Mulled wine, heavy on the cinnamon, light on the cloves!" If you try any of these, let me know what you think! I'm definitely making wassail all season long!

Merry Christmas!