I feel like I say every Occasion is my favorite, but this was SO much fun to put together. I worked with some crazy talented vendors to create the absolute sweetest little play date! We had five kiddos gather together for a cocoa bar, cookie decorating, and some official Santa letter writing. It was too cute.
Olive Fox Design created this beautiful custom invitation. Look at that heap of whipped cream, and the snowflake detailing. She also did a lovely job at hand lettering the envelopes. Happy Mail, indeed!
Putting together this cocoa bar was a lot of fun for me. Some people like to party, I like to style three tiered stands, for my kitchen #sorrynotsorry. No, but really, I drink coffee every single day, several times a day, and so I thought this festive little bar would be a fun way to spruce up the kitchen for Christmas. The stand itself is new, but it’s contents are a mixture of old and new. Olive Fox Design is responsible for that sweet cup of cheer sign. I love it so much.
That tiny Christmas tree was actually Raegan’s very first mini tree. She has a larger pre-lit one now, to match her sister’s, but I had to reuse this itty bitty cutie. Those adorable Mud Pie mugs have the words to Twas’ the Night Before Christmas written along them, and they’re the perfect size for hot cocoa. Trust me, I’ve done the light work. The mini marshmallow, and chocolate chip canisters are new, from Hobby Lobby. I added in some candy striped string bows. Y’all know I love my bows.
The red mason jar mugs, and home for the holidays sign are Target finds, from a few years ago. One mason jar is filled with silver reindeer stir sticks, and the other with paper straws, and the. most. delicious. chocolate peppermint dipped stirrers. Sidenote: Each child got one of these to take home for the cocoa of Christmas future.
The Rae Dunn nutcracker canister houses my special dark chocolate cocoa, and that adorable glass jar has fudge cocoa mix from Target. I added that little scarf from a wine bottle gift set I was gifted. Candy canes, napkins, a baby Raegan photo, cream filled wafers, and soft peppermints also adorn my cocoa/coffee bar.
Setting up for this sweet play date was pretty simple. It’s nice that the house was already decorated for Christmas. We set up right in front of our fireplace, stockings hung. I used the prettiest white sequined tablecloth. It reminded me of fallen snow, before it’s been touched. It was a must! Each guest was met with a candy striped plate, a sparkly Santa party hat, and a place card made from reindeer gift tags. I tied these to their peppermint stirrers.
Each kiddo also got an adorable coordinating reindeer cracker. These Meri Meri reindeer crackers pop open to reveal small toys and games. I love the candy striped string ties, and felt pom noses. Pom poms are so in right now! I recently bought a string of them for an upcoming project. I can’t wait to share that with you!
We started things off with the cocoa bar! Everyone got their fill of ooey gooey marshmallowy chocolate. I served the kiddos their cocoa in German Christmas market mugs. These smaller mugs are traditional winter wonderland keepsakes in Germany. We have a collection of them from each of the Christmas markets we went to. They’re traditionally used to serve mulled wine, or gluhwein, but for this Occasion they served liquid chocolate to our littles. I found the cutest snowflake shaped marshmallows at Target.
Dairy Allergy Mama Quick Tip: If your child doesn’t have a tree nut allergy, just used warmed up chocolate almond milk for cocoa. I also recently learned that Starbucks offers vegan hot chocolate!
Next up, the kids enjoyed cookie decorating! Thanks to Cookie Cutter Cookies, everything was already done for us. She is the amazing baker behind my Cookie + Cocoa Occasion Kits! Or if you liked those gorgeous pink and gold dinosaur cookies from Raegan’s 3rd birthday party, she made those too! In the kits, she provides freshly baked Christmas cookies, pre-piped icing bags, and sprinkles! We also got a dozen beautifully decorated cookies for inspiration. The letter addressed to Santa is my absolute favorite!
All of the kids kept sneaking little bits of icing. There is such a huge difference between real royal icing, and the sketchy kind that you get in the grocery store kits. This was actually tasty and spreadable. The kids loved switching colors, talking shapes, and creating their own dessert.
After making these sweet masterpieces, it was time to get to work on their Santa letters! It was hilarious to listen to what the kids were asking Santa for. Raegan has two gems at the top of her list: an umbrella, and chips + salsa. They munched on cookies, and candy cane flavored Hot Sugar Pop , while dreaming up what would be under their trees, on Christmas morning! They all confidently checked the “NICE” box!
Our “Official Letter to Santa” stationary is made by an awesome small business called Chickabug. Each child received a card stock letter, envelope, and official North Pole seal. A mini mason jar (wrapped with candy striped string, of course) housed crayons, and the good ole’ Target Dollar Spot came through with some festive elf postage! That adorable vintage tin mailbox was a TJMaxx find!
These five little elves formed what might be the best line I’ve ever seen. They each dropped in their Santa letter. Our Elf on the Shelf, Button, guarded the mailbox, and promised to take the letters with him to the North Pole that evening.
We wrapped up this sweet little play date by opening the reindeer poppers…and with second helpings of cocoa and cookies. Every time I see these photos, my heart melts. Mothering toddlers is no small feat, but they’re just so freaking cute. I never want to forget this morning, with friends!
For those who have been asking, my Cookie + Cocoa Occasion Kits are sold out for the season. Be sure to keep an eye out for the cuteness that is in store over the next couple of months.
Thank you to every single parent who got an Occasion Kit from me. Your support truly blew me away. It brings me great joy to know that I may be adding some Christmas cheer to your family celebrations this year. My heart overflows with gratefulness. Enjoy one another.
Merry Christmas + Happy Holidays to you all! I’ll see you in 2019!
XOXO,
Shakira
Vendors:
Event Styling: Occasions by Shakira
Photography: Kristin Guynn
Cookies: Cookie Cutter Cookies
Popcorn: Hot Sugar Pop
Graphic Design: Olive Fox Design
5 Responses
What a perfect Christmas play date! Love all the details for this…Your kits make this fun event available to any one with no extra work for the parents…such a great idea!
Thank you, so much! That is my aim with the Occasions Kits–to help mamas create memories without being intimidated by the process. It doesn’t always have to be a huge party, so many awesome memories can be made at the kitchen counter over a plate of cookies 🙂
They look so happy and festive, and in thought. Fantastic ideas, love the decorating. Merry Christmas little ones! Santa is On his way!
Thank you, beautiful! I think cookie decorating is fun at any age! It is always fun for me to put together an activity that everyone one in the family likes. Happy New Year!