This was a HIT at my sisters Christmas party. I did make the mistake of not having cinnamon sticks, so did a few good shakes of ground cinnamon. BIG mistake. I ended up with cinnamon floating at the top of the crock. I just let it simmer, then poured it through a strainer to remove that residue and it was awesome. Then I got some cinnamon sticks for when I make this again on Christmas Eve for the family. It was wonderful! Thanks for the recipe!