January tends to fall a little flat for me. The flurry of festivities are over, the kids are already over their new toys, and I feel like my house just looks a little sad without the glowing Christmas tree.
But LO, my friends, I have great news for you. January 31 is NATIONAL HOT CHOCOLATE DAY, and other than the birth of the Good Lord himself, I think chocolate is the next best thing to celebrate.
This gives us the perfect reason to party in the dreary month of January: a super easy hot chocolate bar! So round the troops, light the fire, pull out the slow cooker, and allow me to help you host the perfect Hot Chocolate Bar! (The kids are gonna LOVE this one.)
I recently hosted a Hot Chocolate Bar; it was SO EASY and the guests loved it! I used this delicious Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate recipe from Wishes and Dishes:
Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups heavy whipping cream
- 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
- 6 cups milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups milk chocolate chips
Instructions:
- Mix heavy whipping cream, milk, vanilla, and chocolate chips in a 5-quart slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on low for 2 hours, stirring occasionally with whisk until mixture is hot and chocolate chips are melted.
- Switch the slow cooker to warm setting. Stir before serving.
- Garnish individual cups with whipped cream or marshmallows.
*Double this recipe for a large party and use a 6.5 quart slow cooker.* 
Now for the FUN part! You can get as creative as you want with toppings for your hot chocolate bar!
Marshmallows (in fun shapes), chocolate chips, M&M’s, whipped cream, and peppermint shavings are all great ideas! (I crushed candy canes to make peppermint shavings.) Amazon has the chocolate- and peppermint-covered spoons I used!
For other theme party ideas to try this year, check out my posts: One Year of Party Themes For Parents and Banana Split Bar Party. If you want to be productive with your theme parties, check out my friend Lisbeth’s post, Fill Your Freezer Party.
