Hot Cocoa in our Winter Garden

I have a weird addiction to mugs. Yes you heard me I said mugs. I have way too many so this Christmas I decided to buy some mugs as gifts for friends...instead of investing in more for myself. I found the most chic gifts on Layla Grayce. For some of my friends I ordered monogrammed trays which were a big hit. I also found the most darling pink cloth cocktail napkins with gold polka dots which we used for a wintry baby shower in the Hamptons. Then there were these chic mugs...they just SCREAM hot cocoa! Well Merry Christmas...Layla Grayce sent me a set! Just what I needed...more mugs! I'll take them, gladly. And here's what I did with these beauties... *this photo was taken by my assistant, Gavin, age 5. Since the air has been chilly we've been spending a lot more time inside. I'm always looking for ways to get out and take in some fresh air. So I took my new mugs and set up a hot cocoa, tea and coffee bar. How perfect would this be next to an outdoor fire pit? Will put that on my list of...dreams. It's the holidays so I wanted my hot cocoa table to look festive. Of course that meant sticking our famous deer on the table surrounded by silver Christmas trees that I stole from Michelle's Christmas Village and greenery that I cut from my backyard. And you'll see some candy cups in front of my white & gold friend... We filled these cups with crushed: peppermint candy canes, graham crackers and nuts. All toppings for your whip cream. YUM! My assistant who is also known as my son Gavin wasted no time with the toppings. He did a trio combining some of each on top of his hot cocoa. As a snack I thought it would be nice to have something crunchy and sweet. I found some Italian cookies that I dipped in melted chocolate and then coated with the same toppings that I set out for the hot cocoa. My favorite was by far the crushed peanuts...which didn't last long around here! If it's too chilly to enjoy this wintry treat station outside then set up indoors and keep it casual. I love setting out some poufs on the rug and cozying up along side a warm fire on a cold winter day. And if you're feeling really saucy...you can go the extra mile with your mugs and dip the rims in melted chocolate and then coat with the toppings that you have already prepped....YUM! Hope you're finding fun ways to keep warm this winter...Cheers!