When people say that computers don’t have a sense of humour, tell them perhaps they don’t. But they do troll people. Today is a grim, grey, cold day. Windy outside, which adds a chill to my life, and I am huddling over a single candle flame and wondering where in the house is my collection of fingerless gloves. My Cratchit Days are upon me. And the picture my computer thinks I need to see on opening it up today?

Sheer trolling, I tell you. Anyway, back to business.

It is no secret that I am an absolute Advent fan. Last year I had a blast collecting and decorating an Advent Journalling box. It’s sat ready for me again this year, with some tweaks, but I have a couple of other Advent plans. I have a sketch a day advent planned, new journalling ideas and a 12 Days of Christmas crafting calendar ready to assemble. I’m also booked on a paint your own advent calendar course this weekend with my daughter, which I will enjoy so much.

I’ll write more about my advent plans in later posts, but today I figured I’d check out two tea advent calendars that you can buy easily in stores and online. I bought these myself, from Amazon or the manufacturer, and any Amazon links in this post are Affiliate links, meaning I get a couple of pence per purchase which you know I will put towards more purchases to review….

Yawn Brew have a collection of four Tea advent calendars, for every kind of tea lover. I chose the loose leaf tea Christmas Blends, because there are few things as decadent as getting out my cosy teapot and tea cosy to enjoy fresh brewed tea. The calendar is a substantial 30cm by 30cm by 5cm, so one to leave out on display. It’s a single use calendar, but everything about the calendar and packing is biodegradable, even the tea pouches.

There’s a good selection of teas as well, with names such as Black Forest tea, Chilly Willy Chai and Santas Christmas Cookie. Brewing and milk instructions are clearly displayed on the back, where the teas are listed with their numbers so you can (I suppose) plan ahead for the day’s brew depending on whether you think the flavour needs to be drunk in the morning or the evening. I can’t decide whether knowing what the tea of the day is, is a good thing or takes an element of surprise away.

Each pouch has a good two to three teaspoonfuls of tea, enough for two reasonable sized cups or one large mug. With the clear brewing instructions, making your daily cuppa is easy enough. I tested the Black Forest Black tea, the Ruby Amaretto Rooibos and the Cocoa Rooibos. They were tasty, pleasant flavours that didn’t overpower, and gave me a real Christmas boost.

At £22, this was the more expensive calendar I tested. I’m taking the rest of it home to open and drink in my post-work wind down during Advent, which is when I most need to take time out to brew a small pot, stop, relax and restore my balance. The company also have hot chocolate advent calendars and coffee advent calendars, so I may well try one of those next year instead/as well.

Pukka Teas make some of my favourite easy-grab teabags: I love their Winter Warmer, and will drink Joy and Peace all day long, especially during summer. I’ve had one of their tea advent calendars before, and I know some of my favourite points and gripes with them.

The Pukka Herbs Advent Calendar is designed to hang in the kitchen or workarea. The teabags are not numbered, but the spaces are. Because the calendar can’t hide the contents, it does mean that you can see what’s coming up every day. This is bad if you want a surprise every day, but does have the advantage that if you and your daughter have a calendar you can mix and match flavours with each other. A couple of years ago I had every fennel, aniseed and licorice tea on the calendar while she nicked the chai, the apples and the mint teas from mine.

The display and wrapping is recyclable, but it is also reuseable: keep the backing card and fill it next year with Pukka Herbs Festive Selection. (indeed, I prefer the limited range in this selection and may well change out some of the bags I know I don’t like anyway) and easy to store in the advent box that you must, by now, have created for yourself.

The selection is from Pukka teabags available all year, so there is a seasonal element missing but it does mean you’re guaranteed some teas you like as well as some you probably don’t.

At £10 the calendar is good value if you need or want your advent on show. If you prefer a smaller, less obvious, display or you have an advent calendar ready made to fill, then the Festive Selection may work better with 30 different bags instead of just 24. It comes in a useful cardboard cylinder, recyclable and reuseable.

If space is a real issue, then the Williamson Elephant Winter Wreath Tea Caddy may be an answer. With 40 Christmas blend teabags, it would sit nicely next to the kettle and provide a Christmas taste without taking up wall or shelf space. And, of course, you can refil it with bags to use all year round or save it as your favourite Christmas Advent container. At £17, you’re paying for the tin as much as the teabags, but it’s a cute touch that (fortunately for me) makes an excellent gift for a tea-loving friend as well. Mine sits in the office, as I was lucky enough to be given it as a Monthly Work’s Reward by the Office Manager for excellent service as an Office Ninja. That’s not as grand as it sounds, because I am the Office Manager and there is only me working alongside the Husband, who is the Boss. I win Employee of the Month every time, except on the days when the Daughter comes in, and then I come a distant second.

Advent will soon be here, and the days of Christmas roll past. This year has flown by. I still feel like I have so much to do, and so little real time to accomplish it. Next year, I think, I need to live a little less as a boat on the wild ocean and more intentionally… set a course, and head towards it, rather than be blasted aside.

How to Hygge the British Way is my gift to the world. I don’t get paid for writing it, I’m not in it for the kudos, financial rewards, to become an influencer, work with brands or otherwise make any money from the blog. That’s why there are no ads, and any products I mention and recommend have either been gifted to me or bought by me with my everyday wages or donations from supporters. Every book I review has been bought and read by me, unless stated otherwise.

I do get a couple of pennies each time someone buys from the Amazon links on my page, as an Amazon Affiliate, but otherwise if you’d like to support me, I like to give something back in return. That’s why I write books. It always feels good if you get a book back in return for some money. You can find a full list of my books at my Author’s Page on Amazon, but especially recommended for this time of year are:

Cosy Happy Hygge: Setting up a rhythm to life and rituals to enjoy it to make for a more balanced life that handles waves and storms better. Lent is a season of rituals and resets. The book has small and easy ways to make your life flow with grace and happiness, which lead to more hygge.

Happier: Probably my most personal book, it’s the story of how I used hygge and the little things in life to help boost my happiness. I still go back and reread to remind myself what I need to do to be a happy human. And it’s always the little things.

And if you, like me, like to plan ahead, then my Christmas books are always available: Have Yourself a Happy Hygge Christmas is the basic, all round Christmas hygge book, Enjoying a Self-Care Christmas is about taking time to look after yourself at the busiest season of all and is only available in ebook, while Celebrating a Contagious Christmas was my answer to Christmas in Lockdowns in 2020 but might (sadly) prove useful for a few more years to come. I’m itching to write a new Christmas book, on simplicity, frugality, minimalism and making the meaning of your Christmas more significant, but time, time, time…

If you’d like to support me, but don’t want to buy a book, I have a Paypal.Me account as Hygge Jem. Every little helps, so even a few pence goes towards the books, goods and courses I use and recommend on the site. I’m grateful for every little bit that brings me closer to my dream of full-time writing, and I know I couldn’t still be writing if it weren’t for the support of many readers and friends out there. Thank you all for every little bit of support, emotional, physical and financial, you give me.

If you’ve enjoyed this article, don’t forget to share it or save it so others can enjoy reading, thinking about and living hygge as well.

The photo between post and promotions is by Elena Kloppenburg on Unsplash . It’s Autumn still, for another month, and I loved the colour of leaves against the cream background. I have plans for an autumn stripe blanket…… And the header is a photo of three advent calendars that I have. The Clipper tea calendar seems not to be available any more, which is a shame, as it is a convenient shape and size for a tea calendar.