Sponsored Post + Giveaway: Coffee as Holiday Survival Essential

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.