Who doesn’t have fond memories of huddling together on summer nights telling stories and eating S’mores? Whether you’re around a campfire, in your backyard, at the cottage by the fire or even at home by the stove, that combination of gooey roasted marshmallow, crispy graham wafer and creamy melted HERSHEY’S ©* Milk Chocolate simply tastes like summer. To celebrate the summer S’mores tradition, we started searching for the Family with S’more, and asked families all across Canada to submit their family’s favourite S’mores story.

After reviewing hundreds of entries, and hearing some incredible S’mores stories, our panel of experts have decided on the top three entries in the running to become the Official Family with S’More.

Now it’s up to you to vote and determine the winner!

The winner will participate in a public S’mores celebration in Toronto and will win a family weekend getaway to Niagara Falls, all courtesy of Hershey’s Milk Chocolate. Read the stories below and then vote for your favourite.

Need some help deciding? Get into the spirit by gathering the family to try out these delectable S’mores recipes.

Finalist #1:
Michelle J., Calgary
When my new boyfriend took me to meet his friends for the first time, I was very nervous.  We would be attending a BBQ at someone’s home, so I figured the best way to make new friends would be to WOW them with some delicious S’mores! There was laughter and smiles all around, as we compared sticky fingers and who the best marshmallow roaster was in the group. I think I chose the perfect icebreaker and I’m happy to say that Sean is a “new boyfriend” no longer—we were married in November of 2007!

Finalist #2:
Jennifer D., Edmonton
It was a chilly October night and I was looking for a cozy way to spend the evening with my new boyfriend. I thought it would be fun to share my love of camping and as the weather did not permit it I decided instead to recreate the atmosphere in my living room. I proceeded to set up a tent using chairs and blankets complete with sleeping bags and flashlights. And to add the finishing touch, what better way to simulate camping than with S’mores. We spent the evening eating S’mores in our makeshift tent, laughing, telling stories and making an absolute mess. But we had so much fun. Now three years later, we are married and have a little girl. And living room camping with S’mores has become a family favourite for cold chilly nights.

Finalist #3:
Pamela B., Ottawa
S’mores have always been a proud family tradition.  I fondly remember having them around when growing up on the farm, eating them over the campfire with a bag of marshmallows, a box of graham crackers, and lots of Hershey chocolate bars. As I got older, I kept my love for S’mores, and found a loving fiancé and stepdaughter who shared the same love of gooey marshmallows over warm, melted chocolate and crumbly, sweet graham crackers.

When the time came and we were finally ready to unite our new family by marriage, we decided there would be no better thing to do than to have a S’mores buffet at our wedding! We ordered dozens of handmade marshmallows in three flavours (vanilla, maple and cappuccino) to savour along with the regular old fashioned store-bought marshmallows. Then, we bought regular Hershey’s milk chocolate, dark chocolate, chocolate with almonds, mint chocolate, orange flavoured, pear flavoured; any interesting and unique flavor we could get our hands on!  We found a great indoor S’mores set, which we set up on the day of the wedding and let people go wild with imagination! It was by far, the biggest hit from our wedding, which people still talk about today when recalling our special day. We were so happy we managed to incorporate our favourite family tradition into the most important day of our life, when our three lives became a single family unit. And it made for the BEST late night snack ever!!!

*Trade mark used with permission.