Between Halloween and Thanksgiving, Savor the Pause
Jumbo skeletons. Covens of leering witches gathered around cauldrons. Goat-sized spiders crawling out of pumpkins the size of washing machines. All of them and plenty more supersized Halloween decorations pack big-box display aisles now, a week before the holiday.
But blink, and those displays will be gone, replaced with a smattering of orange-and-brown Thanksgiving come-ons and a swelling, sloshing sea of red-and-green Christmas decorations.
While Halloween doesn’t dwell squarely within “the holidays,” we think it at least serves as the season’s unofficial kick-off. The day after we remove the fangs, capes and makeup, we enter November. And the swift march toward Thanksgiving begins.
We fully embrace November as a prelude to the holiday madness. Think of at least part of the month as an opportunity to take deep breaths, dwell within the moment and gather energy and spark for the whirlwind that is Thanksgiving week through New Year’s Eve.
Few culinary things nurture slowing down and appreciating passing time like tea. For many people, tea helps ripen mornings into tidy windows of pleasure. It fosters breaks in the afternoon, small patches of time to stop dwelling on work and instead chat with friends or just sit in peace. Tea often stands as a postprandial routine, too—so many herbal teas offer dessert vibes, as well as sleep benefits.
Halloween lands a week from Saturday. We hope you crush all your scary costumes and spooky plans. And then, during the lull before Thanksgiving, carve out time to sip tea, take it easy and savor time as it passes. Before you know it—snap!—the holidays will be upon us.
And all along, the days grow shorter. The balance of darkness increases, while light weakens. It’s tea time, friends.
Pre-Holiday Teas: Midafternoon Blahs Green (Organic)
Long day? Work driving you around the bend? Gearing up for picking kids up from school and commencing the chaos? Then this is the tea for you—a perfect pick-me-up. We love inhaling the aroma, relishing the sips. This winner begins with the Japanese tea sencha, the most popular tea across the island nation. Sencha is slightly herbal and grassy, and loaded with umami. To that we add peppermint and lemongrass, which give the brew more perfume and snap, as well as additional soul. Enrich those autumn afternoons!
Pre-Holiday Teas: Golden Orchard Oolong
Oolong naturally aligns beautifully with autumn, as well as contemplation. While the oolong category contains a vast diversity of tea, many of them carry hints of tree bark and earth, of honey and spice. Fall! This oolong blend combines the traditional Camellia sinensis with apple, cinnamon, hibiscus, almond, rosehip, elderberry, currant and aniseed. An autumn dream! Begin a chilly, gray morning with this ambrosia. Look out the window while you do it, and watch the wind shake the barren trees. Use it to craft a lovely afternoon break while leafing through a book.
Pre-Holiday Teas: Ripe Pu-erh Cake
Forest floor. Damp leaves. Wet soil. Pure fall. That’s pu-erh, which among others, also broadcasts winning notes of malt and pipe tobacco, cocoa and leather. The world’s most well-known fermented tea, Chinese have been sipping it for flavor and health for centuries. Now it’s attracted an international following for the same reasons. We fell in love with pu-erh many years ago; our adoration has not dimmed. In fact, it’s only grown stronger. It’s a wonderful choice for a quiet morning, before the day’s activities commence. For a noon pause amidst a task-strewn day. For all day Sunday with a gripping novel or movie, or as a partner for your Saturday afternoon of crafting.
Pre-Holiday Teas: Be Happy Rooibos Blend (Organic)
We think contemplative pursuits can conjure good moods. But not always. If the day frustrates, brew a pot of our Be Happy Rooibos blend, which contains rooibos, lemon peel and a key ingredient: St. John’s wort. The herb, which grows wild all over North America and Europe, gets widely used by fans of natural medicine for its ability to improve moods and bring about more reliable states of happiness. The lemon peel also serves as a mood brightener.
With the holiday season right around the corner, we recommend brewing this tea now and making it part of your daily routine. After all, despite the season’s manifold thrills and advantages, it also brings with it quite a bit of sadness for many people. Our Be Happy blend can lend a hand if the season becomes too taxing.
