A Cup of Christmas Cheer

I’m about to tell you something very important: Christmas is less than a week away! I’ll wait why you rock back and forth in the corner and laugh maniacally about all the things you still have left to do between now and then. Its okay, I've been there and done that already this year!

I am blessed with a very large, very close extended family. And spending the holidays in a house full of pesky great uncles, chattering aunts and the cousins who defined my childhood can make for a loud, crazy, and heartwarming holiday. It can also make for a preeeetty long Christmas list. And like most people, my budget was much smaller than my want for giving was this year (as it is every year!) so I had to put my thinking cap on for gifts.

Personally, I love nothing more than a big cup of warm hot chocolate this time of year. To me, it’s a chance to take a moment out of the day and indulge in a simple pleasure, to unwind, relax, and let the stress of the day melt into my steaming mug. So I thought to myself, “Self?! Why not share a cup of cheer with those you love the most this time of year?” And that’s exactly what I did!

I made two batches of homemade cocoa mix (see below for the recipe) and packaged them in these adorable jars I found at the Dollar Tree (can’t beat that $1 price tag!). The two batches of cocoa mix filled 11 jars!

I paired each jar of mix with two Christmas mugs (Which I scored for $0.60 a piece at Walgreens. What, what!)

And a little bag of extras to make each cup just that much more delicious:

I used the instructions from Brown Paper Packages for her chocolate covered candy canes (which are delicious, by the way, but I broke every.single.one.) and included them with a handful of mini marshmallows.

Put it all together and you have a very Christmasy cup of cheer: or, a very simple, homemade gift done on the cheap (and on time)!

::whispers:: Even better? There was some mix leftover. So guess what I will be doing tonight? Shhh! Don't tell!::

Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix Recipe

1 box (around 25 oz) Powdered Milk
1 16 oz container of Nestle's Quick
1 16 oz container non-dairy creamer

Thoroughly mix all the ingredients (in a BIG bowl!) and enjoy! :)