Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice

by Fayeruz Regan 12.2024

Excess is not always a negative thing. Tacky light tours and ugly Christmas sweaters are proof that when it comes to the holidays, more is more. We experience joy when encountering things spilling with color and decadence, even when there’s zero regard for taste or restraint.

It’s easy to spread joy over the holidays without breaking a sweat, or the bank. And it comes down to two things: Sugar, and the wisdom of epic host Nora Ephron: “People love to play with their food.” Combine the two, and what do you have? Stations!

I’m a firm believer that while entertaining, people need extra things to do. Sometimes conversations lull or people feel left out. What better way to engage them than with a station? If the party is big enough, a photo booth. If it’s more intimate, a tarot card reader – it all depends on the party. 

But during the holidays, when everyone agrees to loosen their belts and enjoy extravagance after a long year, what better type of station to put together than one that involves sugar? Whether you are hosting or asked to bring something special to a holiday party, it’s easier than you think to make a splash with a special “station” that loved ones will talk about for years to come. 

Hot Cocoa Station

Mini candy canes and marshmallows are a must, but why stop there? Make guests feel spoiled with thoughtful touches, like gelatin-free marshmallows for any vegetarians, Muslims, or Jewish people in attendance. Add whipped cream to the spread, so that things like red hots, mini chocolate chips, butterscotch chips and sprinkles can sit beautifully atop your drink. Add some cinnamon sticks, cayenne pepper, or hot honey to the spread. After all, the Aztecs, who discovered chocolate, originally drank cocoa in a spicy beverage. Sugar and milk weren’t added until cocoa got to Spain. 

You can even have guests alter the flavor of the hot cocoa itself, with flavored syrups or extracts! I prefer extracts so that the drinks aren’t overly sweet. Orange and chocolate is my favorite combination, but other syrups and flavor extracts pair wonderfully with chocolate. They include mint, coconut, almond, cherry, caramel, hazelnut, and raspberry. 

Cookie Decorating Station

If you want your cookie decorating station to stand out, think beyond the standard sugar cookie. Bring chocolatey brown cookies, gingerbread men, and peanut butter cookies (as long as there are no allergies). You can kick things up a notch by bringing extra large cookies, so people can get creative with the added real estate. Just make sure the cookies are crunchy, not soft.

Like any cookie decorating station, there will be a mix of different types of sprinkles and frosting. Offer frosting in dispensers with piping, so that people can spell out letters or designs in thin ribbons or tube-like shapes. Place the sprinkles in festive little bowls, and have the station sitting atop a beautiful tablecloth. Not only will it delineate the space, but it will protect what’s beneath it!

Finally, be sure to place little cellophane bags and ties at the station, so that people can take the cookies home as party favors if they’d like. Some guests will be too stuffed to eat another bite, and others will want to savor their art before devouring. Sometimes, I take a little prize home to my kid, who can’t enjoy the adult-only parties.

Gingerbread House Station

Realistically, no one will be sitting around baking gingerbread for this station. And if you are the rare host that does, we are not worthy. And the pre-packaged gingerbread kits don’t apply. They can be fun, but are the definition of cookie cutter. These stations are about expression and creativity.

So, what to use? Boxes or graham crackers and lots of them. It levels the playing field. Grab a few tubs of white frosting to mimic snow, colorful candies, and candy canes. Building gingerbread houses can be frustrating when walls cave in, and there will be screeching. But it’s all in good fun. Just add more frosting. 

To take the gingerbread station up a notch, have a contest or do challenges. Laughter is guaranteed. A prize can go to the best gingerbread house, and alternately, the hottest mess. You can challenge guests to create a haunted house, the manger scene, or replicate a famous building and have people guess the landmark. The better the prize, the more competitive they’ll get.

Have a ball playing with your food, and happy holidays!