On Thursday night, my little family had our annual JAMMY COCOA CHRISTMAS!
My dad is getting such a kick out of everyone who is also having “Jammy Cocoa Christmases” and hash-tagging or tagging him in the pics. He thinks it’s so much fun that his little catchphrase has spread to so many of you! If you have no clue what I’m talking about, then here you go…
…it’s basically just looking at Christmas lights but first, you have to walk into a coffee shop with your pajamas on. My dad coined the term years ago, and it’s stuck. My kiddos love when we do this every year. Nothing says “holiday fun” like Mom and Dad wearing pajamas into Starbucks 🙂 .
Now, our Elf on the Shelf kicked off our Jammy Cocoa Christmas by leaving the kids this that morning…
…reindeer stuff for the car.
Andrew Shull rolled his eyes big time.
Hahahahaha!
The kids were so excited about the deer gear!
That night after dinner (we had this), we showered up and put on our pajamas.
My three little deer with their blankets and doll for the ride.
Smith even wore his slippers for the occasion 🙂 .
Off we go! Ready to see some lights around McKinney!
Because…this is Madeley 😉 .
First stop, the Starbucks right by our house…
…decisions, decisions, decisions.
She insisted on wearing her Peppa Pig pajamas. This girl is Peppa obsessed!
My other two little deer. Please note, one time someone told us that the Starbucks by our house was the busiest one in the state of Texas. Now, I don’t know if that’s true or not…but it feels true every time I visit…except for on this night. It was totally empty!
My evens.
We grabbed our goodies (a mixture of cake pops and cookies) and waited on our hot chocolate.
Four festive kids cups!
Then, we loaded up and headed out!
If you’re in the McKinney area, our favorite places to look at lights are Tucker Hill and Stonebridge Ranch. We drove around for about an hour eating, drinking and listening to holiday music. ‘Tis the season, friends!
Erika Slaughter says
Madeley!!! Hahahaha! Slaughters are participating in this Papa Jay tradition on Wednesday!! And I think you guys told us about the lights in Tucker Hill…they’re our favorite!
Sheaffer says
We love going to Tucker Hill too! All the houses are so pretty. I could drive around that neighborhood even when it’s not all lit up for Christmas!
Tabitha says
Tell Papa Jay we do the JCC in New York City! Our Starbucks is ALWAYS crowded, and we might look like idiots. But we have the BEST time! So fun and festive.
Mix and Match Mama says
Yay!!!! He will be so pleased!!!!
Elspeth Mizner says
LOVE reading about this every year! So fun and magical
Eileen says
Fun! How come Andrew’s not wearing pjs? My husband definitely never would! lol
Mix and Match Mama says
He is! He has on his pinstriped cotton pj pants. I’m pretty sure he only pulls them out once a year! Hahaha!
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog says
Such a fun family tradition! The jammies are so cute 🙂 Love the Christmas spirit! ❤️✨
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Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Amanda @ Cupcake N Dreams says
Love the kids jammies this year! Cracking up over the reindeer gear too. I bet your Dad never thought there would be a hashtag for this lol!
Amanda @ Cupcake N Dreams
Narci says
This is one of my very favorite traditions that you guys have! The kids look absolutely adorable in their jammies, and we go through Tucker Hill also! The best!
Jill Koch says
Love seeing you all do this every year! I told my husband about it the other day and he thought it was a fun idea, so we will definitely start a family tradition of this too! Thanks for sharing!
Jill @ https://jillcomesclean.com/
Kimberly C says
Your dad sounds like an amazing man from all I’ve read about him on here ❤️ Our Jammy Cocoa Christmas will be sometime next week — have to narrow down a day soon! I may be the only one enjoying the cocoa but my boys will definitely be into it for the sweets! If you and the family are ever up for a trip, the Toledo Zoo’s (in Ohio) Lights Before Christmas display has for several years been voted the best light display in the country. It does not disappoint! ?❄️
Tracy says
Fun!
Carly says
We do JCC here in Waco, TX too! We’ve done it for years, but I stole your dad’s term for it about 5 years ago because it’s so much easier then saying “Driving around town in pjs looking at lights” ;). I have a question- my daughter is 13, and while she is still game for going to SB in pj’s, I wonder if she balk eventually. Did you guys do this all through High School or did it come a time when JCC was shelved until you had your own kids ;)?
Thanks!
Mix and Match Mama says
We didn’t call it this when we were that age (that name came later), but listening to the Carpenters Christmas Album and wearing pajamas has been a tradition for a long time. I’m pretty nerdy about Christmas, so it has always been fun for me!
Brianne says
My girls and I always drive around in our pjs but this year we are adding Starbucks beforehand! They are so excited and can’t wait for their pjs! The 3 of us have matching pjs for the fun occasion!
Dana M. says
Not sure if you knew this was coming to North Texas….pass this along to Madeley! It’ll make her day ?
https://www.dallasnews.com/business/leisure/2018/06/05/grapevine-mills-get-first-us-location-peppa-pig-play-center
Rebekah Bueschel says
I love this tradition! Definitely something I want to do when we have kids one day. 🙂
Jenna Lathrop says
We do the same thing. It is always so much fun and my kids love it!
Jen says
I love this! We started it last year after I first started following you. 🙂 Though we do cheat and do Starbucks mobile ordering because we have the busiest Starbucks in my state, too! LOL I’m adding the deer gear for my car this year – how fun! So tell Papa Jay it has spread to Indy, too! 🙂
Mix and Match Mama says
Oh I will!! He will be so excited to hear this!!!
Kelly says
We did this with our girls geowinbup , too ?? But we often stopped at Cracker Barrel and let them go inside and get the special disposable glasses that make the lights look 3 dimensional and have special designs. (Plus I could get sweet tea while the rest had their hot chocolate!)
Fun memories !
Kerri Soto says
We are doing our’s next Tuesday night we live just outside of Boston in the suburbs! My daughter is so excited!!! We used to go with my cousin who in her neighborhood they all rent a trolley and do it and then come back home and Santa is there! So fun!
Anna S says
This is such a cute and original Christmas tradition. Did your Dad start it when you and Sean were kids?
Jennifer says
We started JCC here in Minnesota after I read your post about it a couple years ago. My daughter looks forward to it every year and has been asking non-stop when we’re going to do it this year. It’s coming up next weekend! Sometimes we even take the dogs with us in their festive jingle collars as our Starbucks gives dog treats!
Mix and Match Mama says
Oh my goodness! How fun is that?!
Katie says
Where did you get your pjs? Love them!
Mix and Match Mama says
Old Navy!!
AnnaMarie Cover says
This will be our 2nd annual Jammy Cocoa Christmas! Your fun idea is in California, too!!
Nicole says
What was your order from Starbucks?! We have been doing it for 4 years now in Michigan!! And we all call it Jammy Cocoa Christmas too!!
Mix and Match Mama says
I got hot tea on this night with a snowman cookie!!
Bailey says
So fun! Me and two of my sorority sisters did JCC this year. We’re seniors in college and definitely never too old for Christmas traditions. Love it!
Katie Stuen says
I’m 27 and started this tradition 3 years ago with my husband, best friends and cousins. Yes! I go do Jammy Coco Christmas three times during this season. It was one of the first posts I read about 3 years ago when I started reading your blog and was immediately hooked. It is my favorite Christmas tradition that I look forward to all year long. I can’t wait to take my future babies and start this tradition with them 🙂 Merry Christmas Shay!
Melissa says
Love this tradition (and your dad’s influence on it)! Speaking of your dad… this is off topic, but do you happen to know of a devotional that he enjoys? I’m struggling to find one for my dad.
Merry Christmas!
Jay Lowe says
I’m big on Jesus Calling. I love how the Lord speaks to me through that wonderfully inspired book.
stacy grant says
We also incorporated JCC in our household! I think this will be our 4th? EXCEPT Dad doesn’t participate. So we go kidnap my daughter’s best friend and her mama and make it a girls’ night! My daughter is 10 and keeps asking when we are going. I think the Elf idea is BRILLIANT!! Tell Papa Jay his novel idea is spreading joy all over the world – and you, too, for sharing it with us! Merry Christmas!
Christine says
My daughter had to go in front of her 1st grade class to talk about a holiday family tradition and she chose ‘Jammy Cocoa Christmas’! Even the teenager goes along with no complaints at all.
Meagan Ruse says
We love going to Tucker Hill to look at Christmas lights!!! What a special tradition!
Kathleen says
Do you ever not get totally exhausted from doing ALLLLLL the things? Man, I’d be worn out from waking up prior to 5am nearly daily, getting my kids to school, running errands, going to the gym, and working several jobs from home! You sound like super mom, Shay, but do you ever feel like you and your kids just need a break? I’m sure we don’t see 95% of everyday life of course but would love to know how you balance and make things seem so seamless. Happy holidays and God bless!
Mix and Match Mama says
Of course, I get tired! I always try to tell myself that I better enjoy this season because it’s super short, and then I can rest up in January. As for my kiddos, I feel like we’re finally taking a breather this month. Dance is over until after the New Year (their recital was on December 1st) and baseball and flag football are over until spring, so I actually feel like they’re getting way more downtime than normal this month.
Robin says
We have been doing Jammy Cocoa Christmas here in Michigan for 4 years now. When we first started we lived in a very rural area (nearest coffee shop was about 25 minutes away) – so we opted to bake a treat at home to take to eat in the car. Now we live in the city and I’m trying to convince my family that it would be way more fun to visit a starbucks or local donut shop or something like that 🙂
Alice says
I wish we could do this, but my 3 year old is still rear-facing in his car seat, so he can’t see much from the car and it wouldn’t be fair for him. But how do your kids manage hot drinks in the car without spilling and burning themselves? My kids can barely manage water bottles in the car without getting drenched.
Mix and Match Mama says
Oh, Ashby spilled a little. Let’s not pretend like she didn’t. Hahaha! At Starbucks, ask them for “kids” hot chocolates and they’re not really hot! Madeley waited and drank hers at the end (so it was more like chocolate milk), but the big three could drink theirs right away!
Angela Ellingson says
My oldest has asked several times when we’re doing JCC! Soon! This is so much fun!
Kerri says
LOVE this! We do our annual Jammy Cocoa Christmas on Christmas Eve. Though we usually make our hot chocolate at home, I love the added fun of going into a store In your Pj’s! I might have to switch that up this year. <3
Becky says
We will be doing our 2nd annual JCC this coming week in Panama City, FL. Thank you for introducing us to the fun!