Spiced Stovetop Hot Chocolate and Homemade Ornaments

  WARNING: This is a long one so if you are just looking for hot chocolate feel free to scroll to the bottom!  I never really looked forward to Thanksgiving very much when I was younger, but what I did look forward to were the days shortly following. My mom always made decorating for Christmas into a special day all its own. We would open all the boxes and reminisce about each treasured decoration. Christmas music would play in the background while my mom laid out some yummy things to munch on as we decorated. I have carried on this tradition with my own family, but instead of snacks we have a special hot chocolate. I am excited to share this recipe with you today, and hope you enjoyed decorating your own tree!  This year we got to attend a 'trees for heroes' event put on by the USO. We went to a local German tree farm and cut down our own tree, then enjoyed some kinderpunsch (spiced cider) and crepes. We also made some homemade ornaments this year. I have included some d...