in doing our weekly menu plan, I noticed we have two upcoming days we see family, the day we see my family for Christmas, and the day we see Brett’s - aka two days where I really don’t know what time we’re getting home, how hungry we’ll be, if we’ll have leftovers gifted to us, etc.

so I wanted to take care of Future Haley by planning an easy dinner that’s not too heavy, but could be filling. a dinner that felt festive and special, but that also could be saved for another time if we end up not needing it.

and since one of these days in question is a Saturday, I naturally leaned towards doing something along the lines of our weekly Snack Dinner Saturday. and then I was putting together these “have yourself a cozy little Christmas” gifts, which included some fun hot cocoa goodies.

and then it dawned on me: could we do a special hybrid of a Hot Cocoa Bar meets a Snack Dinner?

it checked all my boxes: easy, festive, filling, repurpose-able.

perfect!

but let me pause there - I have two young children, three dogs (one of which is elderly), a new-to-us Airstream, a questionably-creaking washing machine, a spontaneous trip to see friends, a lingering ear infection, and (what feels like) a thousand other little balls in the air. so while there are tons of phenomenal Hot Cocoa Bar ideas out there (like this!), I currently need something easy. so maybe in the future we’ll change it up, but this year we’re keeping it simple. ie premade mix and one topping choice. perfect!

here’s what I’m grabbing (aka here’s what I’m throwing in my Target Pick-up Order):

a ready-made hot cocoa bar with this darling kit,

just what I need! mix and toppings, ready to go!
or I could grab these peppermint hot cocoa spoons,
or this marshmallow hot cocoa spoon,
or this sprinkle-y hot cocoa bomb (KK would LOVE this!),
or this reindeer cocoa set!!!

this trio set of roasted holiday nuts,

or this trio set of savory holiday nuts,
because while this would be perfect to make our Hot Cocoa Snack Dinner more filling for Brett, it could also be brought on our January Airstream Trip.

these churro strips cinnamon chips,

these snowflake-shaped pretzels,

these white cream and peppermint covered pretzel crisps!!!

and/or these christmas white chocolate covered pretzels
and/or these candy cane crunch pretzel rods (perfect for stirring!)
and/or these white chocolate dipped pretzel rods
and/or these milk chocolate dipped pretzel rods
and/or these toffee crunch pretzel rods

etc, etc, etc.

If I feel up to it (and if we’re really hungry), I may also set out:

this awesome Christmas salad,
these red and green tortilla chips + some sort of dip
various fruit,
homemade Chex Mix,
spicy ranch crackers,
garlic ranch party mix,
cheese + crackers,
and/or popcorn
- see our must-haves for the best popcorn here
- see popcorn introduction + choking info here
- brett and I exchange these three gifts every Christmas - last year we invested in gooooood popcorn gear and it has been the best gift ever. truly.

The options are endless! Endless, flexible, and magical.

And of course, a Christmas movie or show is a non-negotiable.

I added this new tradition idea to my yearly list - aka my running list of how I remember all our beloved traditions, and anything else I like to do once a year (traditions, house maintenance, annual sales, etc). That way if it’s a success, Future Haley can decide if she wants to do it again.

We may even try this Hot Cocoa Snack Dinner as our newest, easiest Christmas Eve dinner. Because we usually do a great charcuterie board for Christmas Eve, but we’re usually too full (and tired) to enjoy it completely, and then it goes to waste. So maybe we’ll try a Hot Cocoa Snack Dinner.

Love new traditions.

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