After Parade Hot Chocolate and Cookie Buffet!

     In my little hometown, where we just moved back to this past August, they hold an annual Christmas parade on the 1st Saturday of December. There are craft fairs, and carolers, and often raffles. It is a fun day, so I wanted to share it with family and friends! I spent most of last week baking and decorating, all the while watching the 6 month old Nugget! I was tired by the end of the week, but everything was ready!

    I rearranged our sitting room to accommodate as many people as possible! I decorated our artificial tree, as it was a little too early to get a real one, then set up the hot chocolate buffet!

     I made hot chocolate from scratch using chocolate chips, cream, milk and sweetened condensed milk. (sooooooooo indulgent!) I set out little dishes with cocoa powder, crushed candy cane and cinnamon. There were also marshmallows that I'd dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with candy cane, mini marshmallows, chocolate chops, candy canes and whipped cream!

    
     The cookie table was groaning under all the goodies! I made gingerbread men and sugar cookies, our guests contributed red velvet white chocolate cookies, chocolate chip cookies, butterscotch gingerbread, double butter cookies and Oreo truffles!

Then we all donned our most festive gear and walked down to see the parade. (our apartment is right on main street!

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     It was a lovely parade, and it was snowing! You can't get better than that for the start of the holiday season! I met a few family members at the parade and invited them up to join us, everyone needed to warm up, it was VERY cold out!

We compared ugly Christmas sweaters!

 

 

The Nug got to try his first candy cane! I think he liked it,,,, hehehe!   

It was a fun day, and I hope to do it again next year! Have your Christmas festivities started up yet? I hope you are enjoying the start of the season too!