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Hot Chocolate Bar

Bring some holiday cheer to your home by creating a festive and functional hot chocolate stand in your kitchen using a tiered tray and vintage Christmas decorations. 

tiered hot chocolate stand filled with vintage Santa mugs, mason jars with peppermint candy and mini marshmallows, hot cocoa pouches, cookie cutters, bottle brush trees, a vintage elf and vintage ceramic Santa shoe holding plastic spoons.

I’ve teamed up with some blogger friends for a hot chocolate collaboration! There are links to more creative ways to set up hot chocolate stations at the end of this post.

Inspiration for the Hot Chocolate Stand

I saw a Mikasa tiered tray Lazy Susan at Costco a few weeks ago, and I’ve been thinking about it ever since. It occurred to me that I could use it as a hot cocoa stand for this post. I was so happy to have a “reason” to buy it!

small side kitchen counter with a tissue box, phone, electric pencil sharpener and a tray of office items.

We have this small counter in our kitchen that is quite under utilized. There is just the phone, pencil sharpener, a box of tissues and some miscellaneous items in a tray. I knew it would be the perfect spot to set up a hot chocolate station for Christmas.

How to Style a Hot Chocolate Stand

four vintage Santa mugs and red ornaments on the top of a hot chocolate stand

First, gather the items that you’d like to use in your stand. Go through your Christmas decorations and choose some cute items for filler. I recently found this set of four vintage Santa mugs at an outdoor market. I like to mix old and new items for interest and decorative impact.

vintage plastic elf on the bottom of a Lazy Susan surrounded by bottle brush trees, hot cocoa packets, cookie cutters, red ornaments and a ceramic Santa boot.

This vintage elf sits in the bottom of the hot chocolate stand. Mixing the decor with the hot cocoa essentials creates a lovely vignette in the kitchen!

mason jars filled with red and white peppermint candies and mini marshmallows

Peppermint candies and mini marshmallows are displayed in mason jars.

vintage plastic elf on the bottom of a Lazy Susan surrounded by bottle brush trees, hot cocoa packets, cookie cutters, red ornaments and a ceramic Santa boot.

A vintage Christmas recipe tin holds packages of hot cocoa mix. There are also bottle brush trees, red bulb ornaments and vintage cookie cutters.

vintage ceramic Santa boot filled with white plastic spoons, a vintage grater with a mini Christmas wreath and NOEL spelled out with Scrabble tiles and a chalkboard sign that says Season's Greetings.

Spoons are corralled inside a vintage Santa boot.

small platter of chocolate chip cookies

Don’t forget to put out a plate of cookies next to the hot chocolate stand when it’s hot cocoa time! You may want to try these recipes for Holiday Coconut Apricot Bars and Old Fashioned Gingersnap Cookies. They would taste great with hot cocoa!

The outlets were camouflaged with a holiday chalkboard sign. You may recognize it from last year’s DIY Drop Cloth Advent Calendar post.

tiered hot chocolate stand filled with vintage Santa mugs, hot cocoa pouches and various other vintage items and hot cocoa accoutrements on a small kitchen counter with a plate of cookies, electric teapot, and chalkboard Season's Greeting sign.

The electric teapot heats up the water for hot chocolate. As this counter is right next to the refrigerator, it’s within easy access to whipped cream.

tiered hot chocolate stand filled with vintage Santa mugs, mason jars with peppermint candy and mini marshmallows, hot cocoa pouches, cookie cutters, bottle brush trees, a vintage elf and vintage ceramic Santa shoe holding plastic spoons.

Voila! You’re ready to host a small hot chocolate party!

Frequently Asked Questions

How to keep hot cocoa warm?

If you’re hosting a hot chocolate party, you can make a batch of hot cocoa and put it into a crock pot or a stainless steel hot chocolate carafe. This will keep it warm and guests can help themselves.

Food to eat with hot chocolate?

Besides Christmas cookies, try some other treats to serve at your hot cocoa station. A bowl of pretzels makes a nice salty sweet combination. Cheddar cheese and crackers makes a hearty snack and also pairs well with chocolate. Tangy fruits, like grapes, oranges, Granny Smith apples, pears, strawberries, raspberries or cherries are refreshing and will cleanse the palette. If you’re not afraid of chocolate overload, offer some chocolate candies, too.

Are there other ways to set up a hot chocolate stand?

If you’d like your hot chocolate stand to be mobile, set it up as a hot chocolate cart! Use a bar cart on wheels that can be moved from room to room.

More Hot Chocolate Inspiration

A hot chocolate bar is fun and special to set up for your guests. Include different types of hot chocolate mixes, marshmallows and a dessert. Make it layered with varying heights to make items easy to see and reach. It’s always great to add pretty mugs, cocoa bombs and pretty napkins too! Hot cocoa bar design by Cindy from Cloches and Lavender
Set up a woodland themed hot cocoa bar in a tiny corner on your kitchen counter. This simple, small-space hot cocoa bar designed by Jayne from Chalking Up Success is pretty enough to be the only Christmas decoration in a small kitchen too.
Create a festive hot chocolate bar for everyone to enjoy. Include everyone’s favorite toppings for the coziest cup of chocolate deliciousness ever. Kippi from Kippi at Home will show you how!

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8 Comments

  1. This is so festive and beautiful, I really love those mugs bring back so many memories! I can’t wait to make a stand this year for the kids!

  2. your stand is so adorable! I love the little elf! He is the perfect touch! And the boot with the spoons is a great Idea too! thanks for sharing!

  3. I love this spot. Your vintage Santa mugs are a favorite. I found an all white one this year .

    Pinned!

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