Every Christmas Eve as a child, our family filed into an old country church pew at 9PM and participated in an annual candlelight service. We sang hymns while being surrounded by family, friends, and community.

I learned from an early age that Christmas magic stemmed from love and spreading joy.

I'd go home with so much anticipation of what Christmas morning might bring... an Easy Bake Oven?! Barbie dolls?! My very own camera?! A brand new Series of Unfortunate Events book?!

My head swirled with all the possibilities. The sheer excitement of going to bed knowing that Santa was coming made me so giddy I could hardly sleep.

Fast forward almost 30 years and I've realized that so much of what made Christmas Eve so special was my mom. She would have us kids help set out milk and cookies for Santa. We curled up on the couch with a cup of hot cocoa in hand and we'd read the most beautifully illustrated "The Night Before Christmas" book.

Now that I'm the mom, I get to be Santa. I get to create the magic of Christmas by sharing love and joy with my family and our friends.

Here's how I make Christmas Eve magical

1) Set out a plate of delicious frosted homemade sugar cookies and a glass of milk for Santa by our fireplace. My son helps set out carrots and oats for Santa's reindeer. Here's a full post on what we do!​

2) Make the most incredible Homemade Hot Chocolate - no powdered mix here! This European-style hot chocolate is thick, decadent, and insanely chocolaty.

Here's our recipe:

Cook Time 10 minutes YIELD 2 -3 servings

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups (360ml) milk
• ½ cup (120ml) heavy cream
• 110 g/4 oz dark chocolate , coarsely chopped
• 50 g/1.7 oz milk chocolate , coarsely chopped
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. In a saucepan, heat milk and cream on medium heat until just below simmering point (it should be hot and steamy but not boiling).
2. Remove from heat and add dark and milk chocolate. Let stand for 1 minute, then add vanilla extract and whisk vigorously.
3. Reheat on very low heat (don’t let it boil!) just until chocolate has completely melted and mixture is smooth.
4. Pour into glasses and serve immediately. Alternatively, you can make this a few hours ahead of time and rewarm in a saucepan on low heat just before serving.
5. Garnish with marshmallows, a cinnamon stick, whipped cream, grated chocolate, or a dusting of cocoa.

3) We read "The Night Before Christmas" (affiliate link) - the classic book from my childhood with the nostalgic illustrations.

4) We cuddle up on the couch and watch "The Polar Express" movie while we drink our hot chocolate.

5) Santa comes to our house at some point throughout the night, delivering presents, filling stockings, and eating most of his cookies. The reindeer eat the carrots and leave a few carrot and oat nibbles outside in the snow.

Wishing you and your family a joyous Christmas!

Cheers,

Stephanie