For a lot of us, the holiday season can be a time of stress.
The dark comes sooner, it’s cold, the trees are bare, and the flowers have died and thrown their seeds to the wind.
Our plant and animal friends are hibernating, spending time focused on rooting and revitalizing for the year to come. We would love to join this natural transition of the Earth, but for us, the dark season traditionally comes with jubilant gatherings loaded with gift giving and delicious meals laden with fats and sugars.
Of course it’s wonderful to see friends and family, to smile and laugh together through this cold season over a cup of something warm. But there are always moments of nerves – like meeting family members of a new partner, or stress – making sure everything is perfect before your friends arrive, or sadness – because it’s your first holiday season without someone you cherish.
If we don’t take care of ourselves through these feelings, we end up slogging through the season like a grinch.
This year, let your ‘something warm’ be a tea that relaxes everyone into the holiday spirit. You can bring your host a nice relaxing holiday tea blend, drink a cup (or a pot) before heading out to a party, or serve this delightful tea before dinner at your own gathering.
This relaxing holiday tea blend is simple and made especially for the holiday season. It’s easy to make, and your local herbal store will more than likely have all of the ingredients you need, and pretty inexpensively, to make a lot at once.
Keep in mind want this to be yummy and beautiful along with being effective for quelling any type of holiday stress you or your guests could be feeling.
All of these ingredients are green except the Rose, so to make it festive, we suggest mixing all of the ingredients in equal parts and then add more of the Rose until the blend is festivally green with red. This isn’t necessary, of course, but these little details done with intention make the effect of the tea stronger.
We didn’t choose these ingredients willy-nilly. Each of them has a purpose, and each of them can be used with children—making this blend family friendly. Though be careful if someone is pregnant, maybe remove the catnip.
Catnip is in this blend because it’s great for setting down deeper worries that keep you stuck so you can focus on what you need to do to get yourself ready. It’s great for fending off pathogens in a group—this time of year you can’t be too careful, someone is bound to have the sniffles. It’s also helpful for kiddos that are wound up after all the festivities to drift to bed.
Melissa, or Lemon Balm, makes and appearance because it can help pull anyone out of the season affective funk. It’s a bitter and it’s really wonderful for nervous stomach aches so don’t you worry about being hungry for dinner. This plant helps people feel a true smile, even when they may be feeling a bit down.
Linden is a sweet friend that makes her way here because she helps calm those nervous frustrations we feel sometimes in familial settings. It can help us see and accept love in new ways, and is helpful for fussy kiddos. It’s also great for to ward off sicknesses and helps with indigestion and flatulence. No embarrassing after-dinner smells from you!
Tulsi is a spicy heart-opening friend. Where Linden helps you to accept love, Tulsi will help you feel it and open yourself to giving your guarded love, safely. Tulsi adds a bit of basil-y spice flavor to this tea, offering a carminative action that makes you hungry. It’s also incredibly helpful for quelling adrenal stress and bringing you back from the edge of burnout.
Check out your high vibration now. The energy of rose raises your vibration, settles down any brewing anger, and reminds you to shamelessly love yourself. The rose infuses this tea with a floral sweetness that makes it easier to connect with your environment.
Do you have a Relaxing Holiday Tea Blend that you like? What herbs would you add?
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