Holiday Open House
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and The Coca-Cola Company. All opinions are mine alone #SmartWayToShareJoy #CollectiveBias
Holiday Open House. Several years ago we decided to host an annual Holiday Open House at our home. It’s a great time to invite friends and family over to share in the joy of the holiday season, but it’s super informal and laid back.
Last week, I had a few minutes to spare, so I ran into my local Family Dollar Store and I saw the Holiday Coca-Cola 2L bottles, I was so excited! I hadn’t seen any before then, and they were so inexpensive, I purchased enough for our open house to drink, and to send home with our friends and family. (The cashier looked at me a little funny when I brought up 25 2L bottles, but whatever) Family Dollar is a great resource for Holiday shopping. I was able to find quite a bit there for our open house!
The week before the party, I started making all the snacks and treats I could ahead of time, including Coca-Cola Fudge. It was so good, I made several trays and packaged half of it up in cute little containers wrapped in cello bags for our guests to take home. I used homemade marshmallows to make the fudge, so I made a few extra trays for our guests too.
- 3 Cups Sugar
- 1.5 Sticks Butter (3/4 Cup)
- 2/3 Cup Evaporated Milk
- 1 Package Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
- 1 Cup of Marshmallows (I use homemade)
- 1 Cup Coca-Cola
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 tsp Salt
- Walnuts or Pecans
- Butter a square baking pan
- Add Sugar, Butter, and Evaporated Milk to a heavy sauce pan and bring to a rolling boil.
- Boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly
- Remove from heat
- Add vanilla and salt
- Slowly stir marshmallows and chocolate chips into pan until they have both melted completely
- (add nuts if you choose)
- Pour into butter baking dish and refrigerate for several hours until set.
The night before the party, while the boys were cleaning the house, I brought in our pallet wood bar and my chalkboard and put it in front of the fireplace. (It’s been too hot to even consider a fire) I draped a blanket over the bar top, and added my Coca-Cola Crates. The larger crate held galvanized buckets, cello bags, tissue paper, and little paper bowls. The smaller crates added height to the bar and were the perfect place to put fun gingham straws and a jar full of popcorn. I added a few 2L bottles of Coca-Cola to the table, a few pre-packaged bags of marshmallows, and a fun little Christmas tree.
On the day of our open house, I lit candles, and turned on classic holiday music in the entryway of our house, and fun holiday movies on the TV. Our friends and family came, hung out for a little while, and then they were able to fill up their buckets with a 2L of Coca-Cola, some fudge, some popcorn, some marshmallows, and a few codes for DVD rentals. They really liked being able to DIY their favor buckets to fit their wants too!
Our annual Holiday Open House was a perfect way to see our closest friends and family and share more joy before the chaos of the holidays really overwhelms us!
Be sure to check out your local Family Dollar Store for all of your holiday entertaining needs too!
Tags : Christmas, Coca Cola, Coke, Entertaining, Family Dollar, Holiday Entertaining, Holidays, Open House, Party
