Serving Up {Gifts}: Holiday Neighbor Goodies

Goodness, this year has flown by.  How is it that we have reached December already?  I feel like I just mailed off my taxes and now it is time to mail off Christmas cards.  I think that as kids we ought to have been warned about the adult time warp that takes over your life as you age - you know the one....where the days and weeks and months no longer drag on with endless questions of "what can I do?".  Instead the days (and weeks and months) come so quickly that it is difficult to recall where we are in the calendar and I can't remember the last time I have said, "I'm bored".  

I was recently sorting photos and came across two that I wanted to post as ideas for holiday gifts.  I love to get creative and treats are a fun way to get creative in gift giving.  These are fun starting points but the options to make them your own are infinite - so, go ahead, get creative, but report back to me your great ideas!

Hot Cocoa Kit     

This was a gift we made for some friends and family just last Christmas.  I have made/distributed homemade cocoa mix in the past but this go-around I opted for using Stephen's Hot Chocolate (if it can't be homemade, it has to be Stephen's!).  The kit included: 

* miniature marshmallows 

* candy cane stirrers that had been dipped in white chocolate 

 * large marshmallows that had been dipped in dark chocolate and rolled in crushed peppermint

* plastic spoons dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with crushed peppermint 

The kits were so fun to assemble that my own kids wanted their own hot cocoa bar to try all the cocoa accompaniments.  A tradition was born and we have a hot cocoa bar already on the calendar two weeks out.

S'more Kit     

S'mores are a favorite of mine and this was a fun gift that we gave to neighbors three years ago.  I opted for the basic s'more recipe, but with all the s'more variations out there you could get pretty creative.  I know we have enjoyed a summer S'more Smorgasbord in the past and have created some pretty good s'more variations that could be capitalized on for the holiday.

What goodie gifts are you giving out this year?

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