tea-ing up December

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My Lil Momma and Luke both are creatures of routine and love Christmas something fierce. Although we have been challenged with a lot of life in recent November/Decembers, I do my best to rally the troops and focus on these rituals that they thrive on - even though giving up our nightly Taskmaster watching for holiday movies is making me a little Grinch-ish, sigh, haha.

Last year, for the first time, I got each of us an advent calendar to brighten up our cold December mornings; mine was Marvel figurines, LM’s was Harry Potter figurines, and Luke’s was A Christmas Story figurines. You might note the amount of figurines there… It was a lot. Just so many. And what do you do with them after?!?!!

 

This year, Luke has horror movie figurines and LM has rubber ducks (she felt so strongly pulled to them), but I decided to something different for myself: a month-long tea trying adventure!



Although I love tea and it’s part of my daily habits, I haven’t tried a lot of flavors. I tend to stay with my tried-and-true green tea or English breakfast tea. I tried chamomile once. Same with Earl Grey. It’s just such a commitment to buy a box of tea I might not like and seems wasteful to order new flavors when out and about which I might not like. (This may stem from LM’s new habit of begging for new Tarbie’s drinks that she takes one sip of and immediately throws away.) (We are working on that.)

 

Well, this December, I’m going to try a different flavor every day and see if I can explore my palate (or explode?) and find new flavors to add in to my routine. I got myself the English Tea Shop’s Organic Advent Calendar Puzzle which will give me a new flavor to try every day! And, as a bonus, NO FIGURINES FOR ME, so 1/3 less figurines overall this year, which is definitely a decorating/storage win.

 

Each week, I’ll do a little wrap-up here of what I unboxed and what I thought. It should be interesting and hopefully I learn a lot about what I like, what to add in to certain teas, and how to get over my mental blocks about trying new things.

 

Wish me luck – today is a chai! (Which I’ve never tried…) (Oof.)

 

Are you a tea drinker? Do you try new teas a lot? Do you advent calendar?

Comments

  1. NGSDecember 1, 2023 at 6:57 AM

    I am OBSESSED with Taskmaster and am so sad the most recent series just finished. I heard a rumor that TM New Zealand is going to be available on the TM YouTube channel soon, though, so I can dig into that!

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    Replies
    1. Lindsay42December 1, 2023 at 9:05 AM

      We started watching the British TM from series 1 again last month - it's been such a great distraction (even if some of the racier bits requires strategic muting for LM's sake). We just finished series 10, so we will start Champions of Champions II if I ever get a break from the holiday movies haha!

      Delete
  2. Tobia | craftaliciousmeDecember 1, 2023 at 8:01 AM

    I do love tea. A lot. Even make my own herb teas.
    Chai is a favorite but I only like it when its not too sweet and more spicy. I may just get up from my laptop and start a pot. You gave me cravings.
    I hope you enjoy your tea experiment and I am excited for you to try new things and maybe discover a new favorite.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lindsay42December 1, 2023 at 9:06 AM

      Oh, the spicy bit makes so much sense - the box says there is garlic in it and I was sitting here wondering where that flavor profile would fit in haha!

      Delete
  3. Life of a Doctor's WifeDecember 1, 2023 at 8:41 AM

    Ooooh this sounds like such a fun Advent calendar! I love tea, although, like you, I tend to stick to my tried-and-true favorites. I think it would be fun to try something that I would probably not want a whole box of. Looking forward to your reviews.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lindsay42December 1, 2023 at 9:07 AM

      I figured it would be a nice, easy project for the blog (and I have my back up teas just in case a cup isn't my "thing" haha)!

      Delete
  4. JennyDecember 2, 2023 at 5:18 AM

    I AM a tea drinker, and like you I drink the same thing over and over again, would like to branch out but don't want to invest in a whole box of tea I don't like. I'm so excited by your advent calendar I kind of want one for myself, even though it's already December 2nd. Maybe I can find one that's only 12 days or something? I'm going to look. In the meantime I'll definitely follow along your tea journey.

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    Replies
    1. Lindsay42December 4, 2023 at 2:00 PM

      I almost want to buy another one from another company and keep it going for the winter, haha!

      Delete
  5. NicoleDecember 2, 2023 at 7:39 AM

    What a fun advent calendar! I love it! I have one that is a small puzzle every day, and the puzzles all feature dogs with Santa hats, so...I mean, how great is that!

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    Replies
    1. Lindsay42December 4, 2023 at 2:00 PM

      How great IS that?!?! Lil Momma would be so jealous!

      Delete
  6. ElisabethDecember 2, 2023 at 9:01 AM

    That's a fun calendar. I didn't get one this year, but when I do I opt for chocolate. I am a creature of habit and tend to only like a few types of tea. But I have a few friends I know would go CRAZY over this.

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    Replies
    1. Lindsay42December 4, 2023 at 2:01 PM

      Chocolate was totally my back up idea - I've never had a chocolate one!

      Delete
  7. StephanyDecember 6, 2023 at 4:33 PM

    I was thinking of a coffee advent calendar, but settled on a bookish one but didn't get it in time before it sold out, so no advent calendar for me this year. Wah! I need to order it in, like, October next year! I hope you enjoy branching out and trying some new teas!

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    Replies
    1. Lindsay42December 7, 2023 at 9:39 AM

      Oh, I feel that! I had to set a reminder for Halloween week so I didn't miss my chance... I thought of a book one, too, but I am so behind on my TBR that I guilted myself into the tea direction, haha!

      Delete
  8. SanDecember 9, 2023 at 1:57 PM

    That's so wonderful that you have these traditions and you all got an advent calendar this year. I think the tea calendar is genius - exactly for the reason that you don't go out buying a whole box of tea when you're not sure you'll like it. This is a great opportunity to try new things and branch out without spending a whole lot of money.
    I have a small old-fashioned post-card advent calendar this year that a friend gave me. I haven't had one for years.

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  9. AnneDecember 10, 2023 at 11:00 AM

    What fun! If this were me... the figurines would be "lost" after a decent period of time. ;) I suspect LM would NOT go for that, though!

    ReplyDelete

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