There’s hardly a parent who doesn’t understand the essential joy of a cup of coffee in the morning. So Eight o’ Clock Coffee is doing one of our readers a humongous favor, in giving away a new Cuisinart coffee maker, and a year’s supply of their own coffee. (That’s a lot of coffee, for some of you!)
First, here are five unexpected ways to bring the beans into your holiday revelry in delicious ways:
1. Make a coffee bar
Instead of the typical cream and sugar, offer natural sugars, and toppings like fresh cinnamon, grated nutmeg, cocoa, even candy canes (peppermint mocha, anyone?) to let your guests add a little zing to their cup of Joe.
2. Have fun with flavor
Flavor shots and flavored creamers are easy to find at most grocery stores. Or search online for the fancy Italian syrups like Torani, that you find in the big coffee chains. A little splash of gingerbread syrup or salted caramel syrup, and you’ve got your very own flavor-of-the-month right at home. And for a lot less money.
3. Don’t burn it!
If you have a lot of guests joining you, forget the gigantic urns which can scald or burn the coffee. Try using carafes instead, which will keep everything warm but will keep the flavor intact.
4. Offer coffee to go
If you’ve got family and friends driving home, consider offering cool holiday-themed to-go cups with lids for their long ride home. Or offer reusable car mugs as party favors and fill them up with one for the road. (You also might consider having decaf on hand for the end of the night.)
5. BYOC
A nice bag of whole bean or ground coffee can be a very thoughtful hostess gift, wrapped with a beautiful mug or two. You might even include a little Bailey’s to go with that French Roast. Yum!
Thanks to our sponsor Eight O’ Clock Coffee for helping us share these fun tips with you. Find them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter for even more holiday coffee tips.
Congratulations to Rachel B! She won a Cuisinart Grind-and-Brew Automatic Coffeemaker and a year’s supply of Eight O’Clock Coffee.
i would love the hazelnut. And as for famous person I would have to say Grace Kelly. She was so proper and elegant yet fun. I would love to know what made her switch from acting to princess and if she ever regretted it.
Mocha, yum! I’d love to have coffee with Anne Morrow Lindbergh, because she seems like she was a kind person with much wisdom to share.
french vanilla and would love to have coffee with president Obama
ardelong2(at)gmail(dot)com
I am kind of boring I like the original flavor the best.My son however is a big hazelnut fan.
I WOULD LIKE THE FRENCH VANILLA WITH LORETTA YOUNG
I would like the Decaf Original with Mother Teresa! (I am the director of the Appalachian Helping Hands ministry and her selfless life of service to others would definitely motivate me!) What a way to start the day! ?
I would like their French Roast and I would like to have coffee with my Mom and Grandma.. because I miss them
My favorite is Eight O’ Clock’s Hazelnut flavor.
I like history and historical figures so I would love to sit and have coffee with many of them. For instance, having coffee with Eleanor Roosevelt because she was a part of so much history and could tell me about the depression, being a First Lady, the many, many historical people she ment, her struggles with her husband’s infidelity and how she came to terms with it, and so much more. I would like to have coffee with Rose Kennedy for almost the same reasons.
I also love old Hollywood and the glamor stars. I’d love to have coffee with Bette Davis. I think she’d be a bawdy hoot and have a million stories.
My all time flavor are…(((trumpets))) Original Whole Bean Eight O’clock coffee! Believe it or not. That’s what in my cup EVERY morning. My treat flavor is a tall and skinny pumpkin spice latte extra hot. ‘
I’d LOVE to sit down with George Washington and I would BEG him to run for president of the USA. We need him.
I will choose the Italian Roast. Rush Limbaugh is my pick to share a chat over a cup of coffee.
I would choose Mocha!! I would have coffee with C.S. Lewis and talk to him about his writing and his faith!
I would like the Dark Italian Roast, I think. And I would love to have coffee with Thomas Merton.. I could learn a lot from him.
50% Decaf (though my guilty pleasure would be the French Roast), and I’d love to have coffee with Jane Austen. I’ve read her biographies and her letters, and man…that lady was a hoot. …Plus I’d love to see what caffeine does to that razor-sharp wit. 😉
French vanilla
I’d like to sit and have coffee with my husband. We are both very busy and don’t see each other much. I know, cheesy!
Dark Italian Roast with Julia Roberts because she is an avid knitter and we have something is common to talk about.
HAZELNUT….And I would like to have coffee with my mom….<3 we don't get enough "quiet" time together!
I prefer 100% Colombian.I’d have coffee with John Lennon because the world could use his peace loving ways.
I like the hazelnut flavor.
I wish I could have coffee with my grandmother (RIP).
French Vanilla, please. I’d love to have coffee with my great-great grandfather and ask him what life was like when he came to America in 1853,
The Mocha would be my favorite…and I would love to have a cup with Jon Bon Jovi – Love him!
I’d choose the Original grind, because I know my family likes it. I’d love to sit down over coffee with Hillary Clinton and talk about what she plans to do when she leaves public office.
I’d go with the dark Italian Roast. My husband took me to Italy for two weeks over Christmas four years ago for our honeymoon and one of our favorite things to do was people watch from a cafe. This coffee reminds me of that adventure. I’d love to have coffee with Federico Fellini. If I’m drinking Italian coffee and people watching, who better to do it with than such an interesting character who is so familiar with Italian life!
I love eight o’clock coffe, all of it! I think Fench Roast is my current favorite. I would love to have a cup with Princess Diana. She was such a humanitarian, and just an all around Lady. I would love to hear from her heart on the issues that mattered most to her!
I would choose Mocha and I would love to have coffee with King Henry the VIII
I’d pick the mocha. And I’d have coffee with my sweet little grandmother. Ooh, rats. She was wonderful, but not famous. More wonderful people and fewer skunks should be famous. But as far as famous people? I’d be glad to have coffee with Mother Teresa.
I’d like to drink French Vanilla with Jane Goodall–I’ve admired her for years.
I’d love to try the Mocha… usually I gravitate toward Hazelnut or French Vanilla. And wouldn’t it be neat to have coffee with George Washington and find out all about the founding of this great country?
I am a 50% decaf girl. Coffee with my late grandmother and namesake of my firstborn, Catherine Ann. We miss you!
i prefer Hazelnut best.
hmm id hand out with Nostradamus.. id love to know if what he predicts is truly real and what his interpretations are. cuz sometimes if one predicts something and its widely known..someone WILL make it happen, just because its written (hey thats an interesting idea, think i’ll try to make that happen..)
zippy573 AT netscape DOT net
hazelnut with President Obama
I’d like to drink hazelnut with Fozzie Bear of Muppet fame. I’d bring my grand daughter along and she’d be thrilled.
I would like The French Vanilla and a cup of coffee with Mark twain who’s wit and wisdom would be an experience.
hazelnut coffee and I would like to have coffee with Oprah. Think she has a lot to talk about.
vmkids3 at msn dot com
Columbian and President Clinton, because he is so articulate and intelligent.
french vanilla with robbie williams
I love the French Roast…I would have a cup of coffee with knitting author and blogger Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. She makes me laugh every day and she loves coffee!
colombian and would love to have a fun cup of coffee with Tina fey…
A basic cup of French Roast. And I would love to share it with my grandmother, whom I never met, but who is the namesake of my four-year-old daughter. Apparently, she was an amazing woman, and I would like to meet her.
Dark italian roast. Would like to have coffee with my dad.
Hazelnut is my fave. I would love to share a cuppa with my grandmother because I do miss her so much.
I didn’t know they had a mocha flavor! I’ll have to take a closer look next time I’m at the grocery store. Yumm!
Famous person I’d like to have coffee with: Albert Einstein. I’ve read he was a very funny person.
Would love to have a French Vanilla coffe time with Michelle Obama, reading a story to children.
Dark Italian Roast: I would love to sit and have coffee with Bill Murray. I think it would be entertaining to sit and chat over a cup or two of coffee with such a funny and creative individual.
i’d prefer french vanilla and i’d lvoe to sit down and chat with angelina jolie because i find her fascinating
100% Colombian. I would enjoy a cup of coffee with Oprah. I’ve never been a fan but recently discovered how inspirational she is.
The 50% Decaf is perfect! – Being prego with #2 means cutting out my tasty morning coffee – this helps give me 2 whole cups! I would LOVE to enjoy my morning brew with my Papa. I was too young to do the “coffee and talk” bit when he was alive and I would love to hear his WWII stories and enjoy his company again.
Dark Italian Roast! And I would love to have coffee with Ruth Reichl. I’d love to hear her talk about the emerging California food scene in the 1980s and about what’s good to eat today.
I love the mocha and my mom and both grandma’s. We never had a chance to sit and talk..it would be nice
French Roast, hands down. And I would like to enjoy a cup with Gwen Stefani. I’d like to chat about her style (love it) and how she juggles her responsibilities at home and work (music, design, etc).
French Vanilla – Thomas Jefferson to hear his true vision for our nation and perspective on where we are now.
french vanilla. i’d like to sit down with my grandfather (mother’s father) whom i never met but heard so much about
The Italian Roast. I’d love a coffee with Steve Jobs (were it still possible) and just listen to him talk about the future.
Mocha and Queen Elizabeth I!
Hazelnut is my fave! I would love to have coffee talk with John Lennon. I have idolized him since I was a little girl, and I would love to see if we would get along.
Regular Med or Dark Roast is our favorite! Would love to enjoy a cup of coffee while my 10 year old sits with Justin Bieber. Her only wish was to wake up finding a large box under the tree and JB inside. She has asked that Santa not to forget to poke holes in the box. Gotta love kids with their wishes and dreams!! Happy Holidays!!
French Roast would definitely by my grind. I would love to have coffee with Stephen King, I have so enjoyed reading all his books and think he is an amazing man.
Regular coffee for me! I would love to have coffee with Tina Fey because she is such an amazing writer, comedian, and Mom.
Hallelujah! Thank you for being SO generous! I could not imagine my mornings without coffee & even more so because I’m a mom now & I have good reason! 🙂 I am a HAZELNUT girl, all the way! And I would absolutely LOVE to sit and have a cup with Angelina Jolie. I’d love to pick her brain & share mommy tips & exchange stories, & listen to all her exciting experiences from all the countries she’s been to with her family!
LOVE hazelnute coffee! I’d most want to have coffee with any one of the great heroes of the Bible and men (and women) of faith. I most resonate with Peter…a passionate follower of Christ. I’d share my coffee with my employer who also love Hazelnut and is a mom of three who just had a total hip replacement at age 44. Thanks!
Mmm, Hazelnut! And I’ve love to have my hazelnut coffee with Anthony Bourdain…though I might spit coffee out my nose from laughing so hard.
I’m usually a purist but I’m in the mood for hazelnut coffee this morning! So Hazelnut coffee and I’d drink it with Dr. Seuss. 🙂
I would love the Mocha….and I would love to have a cup of coffee with the Queen of England…just to be able to say we met and had coffee together!!!
I’d love to have a cup of the Mocha grind with my grandmother.
I’d love to drink French Roast with Jim Henson… and any Muppet friends he’d like to bring along. 🙂
Mocha with Meriwether Lewis to discuss the expedition.
The mocha looks good, and for a “drinking” partner? Maybe John Travolta, he seems as though he’d be easy to talk to.
I think I would like to try the Mocha and I would like to sit down with my mother. She passed when I was young but who I remember drank Eight oclock coffee.
French Vanilla and I would pick Princess Diana as she did so many wonderful things in her life and saw so much of the world.
I am so boring. I would just go with a regular roast coffee. Flavors leave an after taste to me. The 2 people I would love to have a cup of coffee with are my grandmothers. They are not famous but they both passed before I was born and the older I get the more I realize that I have missed out on their wisdom, wit and words.
Boring as it is, I have to go with Original! I would love to have coffee with Billy Graham. He is inspirational and so full of wisdom, stories and the Lord!
I would like to have 8 o’clock french vanilla with Jane Austen.
I’d choose the Mocha flavor and have coffee with Michelle Obama. I find her to be fascinating.
Mocha – yum! Famous person? I’d have to say Benjamin Franklin. It’s amazing how much he accomplished in his lifetime!
I would love me some Mocha. As for the famous person I would definitely would love to have coffee with Copernicus, as I have read book about him recently and there is relatively little known about him.
I like the French Vanilla and I would love to have coffee with President LIncoln. He was involved in so much that changed our country
Original, and I guess I’d like to have coffee with Chad Kroeger – I think he’s a musical genius.
mocha – Jane Austen, my favorite author. would love to know how her brain worked!
I love their whole bean decaf. It’s been sold out everywhere around here and it’s driving me crazy. I would like to have coffee with Jennifer Aniston. She just seems really sweet. thank you!
Dark Italian Roast for me. I would love to have Coffee with Leonard Cohen as long as he did all the talking.
I would buy the 50% Caffeine because I’m pregnant, but I still need my caffeine in the morning! If I could have coffee with anyone it would be my dad. We lost him suddenly last year, and since then there have been two new grandchildren born and another on the way. I’d love for him to see them!
dark italian! and i’d pick jesus. i have a lot of questions only he can answer.
1005 columbian looks fantastic and would love a cup with Rick Springfield because had a crush on him since I was 11 and always wanted to meet him
I’d pick Mocha and have my cup with Eleanor Roosevelt because I think she was a woman WAY ahead of her time and one cool mom!
I’d prefer original and I’d love to share a cup with Benjamin Franklin.
chestnutyouth(at)hotmail(dot)com
I would stick with the French Roast- I would love to have a cup and a chat with my Dad- he passed away when I was in my mid-20’s… before my marriage, kids and the love of coffee…. before my true adult self realized what an awesome dynamic man he was.
The Mocha grind sounds fantastic. I would love to have coffee with Judy Blume because I love her books and think she would have a lot of interesting things to say! Thanks for the giveaway!
kconklin1028@gmail.com
I’d love to try the Bokar Grind, mostly because I’ve never heard of it and it sounds like a bold, flavorful option! As for my coffee partner, I’d probably go with Alfred Hitchcock, both because he’s made my favorite movies and because I bet he’s a super intelligent guy with a wicked sense of humor, which would make for a great conversation. Thanks!
the French Roast and I would like a cup and chat with J.R.R. Tolkien. He was a brilliantly imaginative man, would have loved to have talked with him and asked him so many questions about mythology and language.
I pick the hazelnut and I guess it would be Cleopatra so she could tell me how the Pyramids were really constructed
I like 50 Decaf because I drink so much coffee.
I’d love to have coffee with St. John of the Cross because I love his writings and deep union with Our Lord.
I love hazelnut. I would love to have coffee with my grandmother who passed 10 years ago. And yes she is famous to me.
The Mocha sounds great. As for a famous person to drink it with… A cup of coffee with Jesus would be great.
I would like the mocha. I would love to have coffee with my Grandpa Schumacher, who passed away when I was in the 5th grade. He was an air traffic controller, so you know coffee was important to him!
French Vanilla would be my grind choice. 🙂 So many historical people I would love to have coffee with…perhaps Mata Hari, I’ll bet she would have some very interesting things to say. 🙂 Thank you.
I’d like the Mocha and to have coffee with Bob Harper from The Biggest Loser.
French Roast, and Jim Henson.
Italian Roast. Jesus, so that I can fully understand.
The 50% Decaf is perfect! – I would LOVE to enjoy my morning coffee with my DAD. My DAD was famous because every year at Christmas he would spread joy by visiting sick folks old and young alike dressed as Santa…..The smiles were endless….
The French Vanilla would be my first choice to try! Yummy!
french roast with maya angelou please!
I’d love to have French Vanilla coffee with JK Rowling. Why? She MADE Harry and all of his magical world. 🙂
My favorite flavor is Vanilla and I would LOVE to have a cup with Jane Austen – how fun to pick her brain. So much of her writing is the inspiration for today’s romances. LOVE!
Mocha! Mocha! Mocha!
I admire Valerie Plame Wilson and would love to have her as a coffee neighbor. Thanks.
French Vanilla. I love love love Green Day, so Billie Joe Armstrong would be my pick! 🙂 (or Peyton Manning because I am also a big Colts fan!)
I like the Dark Italian roast. I would love to have coffee with Amelia Earhart, because it would be truly intriguing to hear about her life first hand.
the bokar grind! although she isn’t famous outside my family, i’d love to have coffee with my grandmother who passed away almost 20 years ago. we have a lot of catching up to do!
I would LOVE the french vanilla flavor. I would love to have one cup of cofee with Oprah. We would chat, brainstorm and she would give me amazing advice that would carry me forever 🙂
I love the hazelnut with its nutty goodness. I would love to sit and chat with Diane Keeton. She seems to have had an interesting life and would fun to learn more about her.
I’ll have dark italian roast with author John Irving. I’d love to understand his process with writing many of my favorite books.
ky2here at msn dot com
I would choose 100%Colombian.
It would be nice to have a cup of coffee with my grandmother who has passed on to talk about the family.
I’d like the simple Columbian with my grandmother…not famous to anyone else but me 🙂
Mocha and i’d love to have a cup with my grandma.
Preferred flavor – Mocha.
And I’d love to have coffee with Julia Roberts.
She’s my favorite actress – I so admire her acting ability.
Thank you.
barbara dot montyj at gmail dot com
“Happy Holidays!”
The Original Roast would be my choice, because
I like a medium roast coffee with a smooth
taste! My 93 year old dad and I go for breakfast
twice a week and I still learn a lot from him.
He would be the person that I would choose to
enjoy this coffee with…
Many thanks, Cindi
Italian Roast for me, and I’d invite O’Henry to share a cup.
I would like their French Roast and I would like to have coffee with my grand father. i miss him !!
French Roast, and I would have a great time drinking coffee with Terry Pratchett who is an English novelist. He has a wonderful sense of humor in his books, and I think he would be very fun to meet.
Dark Italian Roast – and i’d love to have coffee with my grandfather. why? because i never had a chance to meet him, and he left many questions unanswered and stories untold. for instance, was he really undercover in paris during world war one? and how did he really meet my grandmother? i’ve always wanted to know!
Thanks for the giveaway…would like to have a cup of 100% Colombian Coffee with FDR because he is my favorite U.S. President of the last century.
I would like the French Roast. And I would have coffee with my mom’s Aunt Emily — she was a family patriarch, researched a family tree back to the 1700’s, and I wrote her the odd letter as a kid. But I never met her. Would love to hear her stories now.
French Roast. Mother Theresa, think it would be a humbling, rewarding and motivating chat.
Hazelnut sounds great! oprah winfrey would be fun!
Love the half caf for late night coffee! And I’d love to have coffee with one of the blog authors I love- Pioneer Woman, Big Mama, etc… That would be so fun!
I like regular flavor but bold. I would like to have coffee with my great-grandmother who has been dead for many years now.
French Vanilla. Janis Joplin would be a cool person to have a cup of coffee with just because I think she’d have some interesting stories to share!
French Roast with Lucille Ball!
Italian Dark Roast….Yum!
And I’d love to have coffee with Winston Churchill, but he’d probably have tea, huh? 🙂
French Roast, whole bean. I would like to have a cup of joe with FD Roosevelt. A great man with a wicked sense of humor.
tes 1283 yahoo
I would go for a cup of French Vanilla with Paul McCartney, I love his music!
I don’t know about anyone famous, but I’d share a cup of mocha with my dad. He died last summer, and I would love to have just one more conversation with him. (His coffee was always lousy, btw!)
I’d have to choose the Italian Roast, which I’d love to share with my second cousins who I recently connected with on Facebook.
I would like to enjoy the Dark Italian Roast, with Jesus. Talk about a fascinating person while on earth!
I am a French Vanilla kind of girl! I would like to meet Stephen King to ask him how he comes up with all his wicked and original book ideas!
I’d love to try the French Roast! I love my coffee strong! I’d be interested to have coffee with Michelle Duggar… their life is fascinating to me!
I love your columbian coffee. Yum! I would truly enjoy a cup with my grandma. I miss her!