Polar Express Hot Chocolate Party

As winter nears, we happily anticipate twinkling Christmas lights, quiet evenings with family, and a magical ambiance in the air.  Cozy season is officially here, and one of the best ways to get cozy is with a cup of cocoa.  So, this week we enjoyed a hot chocolate party themed to The Polar Express!

I loved reading The Polar Express as a child, and now I read the very same copy of the book to my children.  It’s a touching story about the spirit of Christmas and believing in magic that applies to young and old alike.

My youngest two also enjoy the 2004 animated film of the same name.  And while I don’t share the same enthusiasm for the movie, one thing I really do love is the music.  In fact, the popular song, Hot Chocolate, was the inspiration for our Polar Express party!

(Hot, hot!) Ooh, we got it!
(Hot, hot!) Hey, we got it!
(Hot, hot!) Say, we got it!
Hot chocolate!

Here, we’ve only got one rule:
Never ever let it cool!
Keep it cookin’ in the pot,
You’ve got-
Hot choc-o-lat!

During this fun musical number, the children are treated to hot chocolate by singing and dancing waiters as they travel to the North Pole.  Well, my dancing and flipping skills pale in comparison, but I knew I could come up with a party to get my kids equally excited for hot chocolate.

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Polar Express Hot Chocolate Party Printable

Our Polar Express party needed some festive signage, so I created this hot chocolate printable on Canva. 

You can download the image for free by clicking the link below!  I recommend downloading the image and ordering a 5×7 print from your local photo center.

Hot Chocolate Charcuterie Board

There seems to be a charcuterie board for everything these days, and I’m here for it!  So, the first component of our Polar Express party was our hot chocolate charcuterie board.

Creating our board was super simple and fun!  I purchased most of the items from Amazon, HomeGoods, and Dollar Tree.

The possibilities are endless for what you can incorporate in a hot chocolate bar, but here are some ideas for add-ins and toppings:

Add-Ins:

Crushed Peppermint

Chocolate Chips (white, milk, dark)

Butterscotch Chips

Peanut Butter Chips

Hot Chocolate Bombs

Caramels

Chocolate Syrup

Caramel Sauce

Chocolate/Peppermint Hot Chocolate Stirrers

Cinnamon Sticks

Toppings:

Candy Canes

Whipped Cream

Marshmallows

Gingerbread Men

Holiday Peeps

Sprinkles

Toffee Pieces

Coconut Flakes

Crushed Graham Cracker

Ground Cinnamon

Chocolate Shavings

Amazon has a ton of great products to create the perfect hot chocolate bar.  Check them out HERE!

Hot, Hot!  Hot Chocolate!

My favorite way to prepare hot chocolate for a crowd is in the crockpot.  That way, the hot chocolate stays at the perfect temperature while guests fill their mugs at their leisure.

Shake Drink Repeat has a great recipe for crockpot hot chocolate!

All Aboard the Polar Express

Since this was a Polar Express themed hot chocolate party, I had to incorporate trains in the presentation!

I decided to get ambitious and build our own gingerbread train.  But before I started baking, I created a template of the various gingerbread pieces I would need to build a train.

You can download my gingerbread template by clicking the link below!

To make the gingerbread, I used my go-to recipe from Dish ‘n’ the Kitchen.  I can’t say enough good things about this recipe – I make it every year!

Using my template, I cut out each piece of gingerbread for the train and baked.  Then, I got real fancy with my train windows.  I decided to crush up one of my son’s red suckers, then put the fragments in the windows before baking.  This was a technique I discovered from all the baking shows I watch, so I crossed my fingers and hoped it would turn out – and it did!

Once the train pieces were baked and cooled, I began decorating with white icing and sprinkles.  Then, it was time to assemble (this was the part I was most scared about!).  I’ll admit, those train cars didn’t want to hold together once I started filling them with marshmallows.  But, with plenty of finagling and extra royal icing, I was able to get them to stick.

The kids absolutely loved it!

My daughter also suggested we incorporate our toy train set in the party, so we got busy building a track to go around the table.  The kids had fun watching the little engine streak past all the delicious sweets.

“The thing about trains…it doesn’t matter where they’re going.  What matters is deciding to get on.”

We had so much fun during our Polar Express hot chocolate party.  Setting up a hot cocoa bar like this is a great way to let kids get creative with their flavors and let their imaginations run wild.  No two hot chocolates were the same thanks to the fun collection of toppings and add-ins!

Our Polar Express party was certainly indulgent with plenty of sweets, but I think it was a hot chocolate party my kids will never forget!

What themed dinner would you like to see us create for the holidays?  Let us know in the comments!

Looking for other themed dinners for the Christmas season?  Check out our Noelle Themed Dinner and our Christmas Vacation Themed Dinner!

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