GINGERBREAD HOUSE PARTY IDEAS + HOMEMADE HOT CHOCOLATE {INSPIRED BY GLADE®}

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #HolidayWithGlade #CollectiveBias

Like so many of you, I absolutely love this time of year. The festive gatherings, school functions, holiday cards, and special family traditions all combine to make November and December memorable and fun. It takes a concerted effort on my part, though, to ensure that we remember what’s most important, and that we don’t confuse “frantic” with “festive”.

When I came across the new Glade® Limited Edition Winter Collection at Kroger the other day, I couldn’t wait to incorporate the new fragrances into our home and festivities this holiday season. The new fragrances are cleverly named and I picked up some of the fragrances including BE AT PEACE™, CHERISH THE PRESENT™, SEND A LITTLE LOVE™ and SHARE THE SPIRIT™. BE AT PEACE™ is my personal favorite because it smells just like a Christmas tree with hints of balsam fir and juniper.

I also love SHARE THE SPIRIT™, which is fruity and festive with hints of pomegranate.

For me, scents can evoke powerful memories and emotions. They can uplift and enliven me like little else can. The new Glade® Limited Edition Winter Collection brought brought to mind some of my favorite holiday memories-carols, gatherings with loved ones, and holiday crafts and baking. The Glade® Limited Edition Winter Collection also also inspired me to put together an easy holiday get-together for my kids and a couple of their friends. This Gingerbread House Party came together quickly, and is a great way to create a special holiday memory.

To start, I put together easy houses out of graham crackers. I used 6 pieces per house, and assembled them onto a paper plate. To get the triangle pieces, just use a serrated knife and carefully and slowly cut each piece (using a slow back and forth motion). It was easier than I thought it would be, but definitely have an extra few crackers on hand.

The end result is a bit messy-looking, but it’ll soon be covered in frosting and candy, so no worries.

Here are some of the easy and doable touches that helped make this party so festive and fun…

For the centerpiece, I hot glued wool pom poms onto craft store branches and put them into a red mason jar.

The candy wreath centerpiece is made out of melted mint candies! After they cooled, I simply hot glued them onto an embroidery hoop.

Lastly, a great hot chocolate is the hallmark of any great holiday party. Here’s how I made mine.

Step 1: Add about a cup of heavy whipping cream into your stand mixer. Whip until stiff peaks form. I usually pour my cream into the bowl of the mixer and stick in the refrigerator for a few minutes before whipping–having everything cold helps everything whip up better. You can always add a dash of sugar or vanilla to your cream; I didn’t for this recipe because the hot chocolate itself is so sweet and decadent.

In a saucepan, over medium heat, combine 1.5 cups of whole milk and 1/2 c. of heavy cream. Pull off the heat once hot (don’t let the mixture boil). Stir in 6-8 ounces of quality, chopped chocolate.