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    Home » Food Gifts

    Tea Advent Calendar: DIY Tutorial

    Published: Nov 20, 2021 · Modified: Nov 20, 2021 by Jessica Fisher

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    You’ve seen a pricy tea advent calendar online but really can’t swallow the price. That’s okay! You can make a tea advent calendar to gift to a friend for just a fraction of the price.

    There are so many great food gifts that you can give! Once you’ve got the tea drinkers covered, consider assembling a An Easy Wine & Cheese Gift Basket or a set of homemade spice mixes for the cooks and connoisseurs.

    table set with cream tea pot, boxed tea advent calendar and a cup of tea on a flowered sauce with a red check napkin. this …

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    Jump to:
    • Why Do This
    • Supplies
    • Step-by-Step Instructions
    • FAQs and Tips for Success
    • More Fun Food Gifts
    • Tell us what you think!
    • Tea Advent Calendar

    If you’re a tea drinker, you know how much fun it is to try new flavors. Ooh! Winter Spice! Green Tea Jasmine! Earl Grey Supreme!

    To try a variety of flavors at home, however, requires a pretty steep investment in tea, no pun intended.

    Not only that, but storing an assortment of teas can become cumbersome.

    That’s why a tea advent calendar is the perfect gift for you or a tea drinker you love.

    Why Do This

    A tea advent calendar is a super fun gift as it provides a variety of teas to be sampled, one for every day in December leading up to Christmas.

    It’s a meaningful individual present. While traditional advent calendars or Christmas countdown activities focus on candy or readings or family activities, this tea advent calendar is more for personal enjoyment and contemplation. The kids are likely not going to steal the tea when one isn’t looking!

    It’s a stress reliever. Research suggests that tea can improve one’s mood, improve the ability to focus, and help with mental decline. A tea advent calendar provides one cup of tea a day to help one progress in the right direction.

    Supplies

    Here’s what you’ll need to assemble a tea advent calendar to give as a gift:

    supplies need to make a tea advent calendar gift.

    25 individually-wrapped tea bags – You can buy a tea sampler pack like this Twinings sampler or this Harney Teas pack

    25 mini envelopes – I’ve tried a number of different wrappings for the tea bags and was most pleased with sealing each one in a mini, 2.7×4-inch envelope. You can also wrap each one in scrapbook paper if you prefer.

    number stickers – You can draw your own number stickers or buy advent stickers all ready to go. Some varieties feature numbers 1-24; others run 1-25.

    a storage box – You can use any small box you like or tape each envelope to a larger poster or folder. I prefer these plastic boxes over the file folders I’ve used in the past.

    ribbon – Ideally, you’ll tie the tea advent calendar box up with a ribbon. You can use grosgrain, raffia, or other favorite ribbon.

    optional, tea quote card – I had a copy of this Instant Tea Party Kit that includes quotes about tea and drinking. I printed and cut one out to adhere to the top of the tea advent calendar. Kinda gives the recipient a clue as to what they’re getting.

    Other things to include:

    There are a host of other items you can include with your tea advent calendar to make the gift more deluxe, including a bottle of Honey Syrup, a batch of Easy Black Currant Scones or a few of Bilbo’s Seed Cakes. Bake a batch of Christmas Bundt Cake into mini cakes for a festive touch.

    Step-by-Step Instructions

    Putting together a tea advent calendar is pretty easy. Here’s what you need to do:

    a basket of a selection of different teas in individual packets on a black table.
    placing a red tea bag into a red envelope with a stack of envelopes and the tea basket nearby.
    placing a number sticker on the red envelope with the other stickers, envelopes, and tea on the table nearby.
    all 25 numbered envelopes in an array on the black table top.
    1. Choose your teas. I had two different sampler packs of tea to mix and match so that my tea advent calendars have a lot of variety in them.
    2. Place each tea packet in a small envelope.
    3. Seal each envelope with a number sticker.
    4. Place the envelopes in order in the box. Close the box and tie it up with ribbon. Attach the tea quote card. Alternatively, you can glue each envelope to a piece of poster board or a file folder.

    FAQs and Tips for Success

    • Make sure your gift recipient likes tea!
    • Consider hosting a party to assemble these gifts with friends. Depending on how many people you invite, you can ask each person to bring 1 to 3 boxes of tea. In that way, you can have a wide variety of teas without having to buy designated samplers. If you host a tea party, it would be the perfect activity to do as a group!
    • To reduce costs, raid your own tea stash. If you have several types on hand already, it’s likely you can assemble a variety of teas without buying too many samplers.
    • Be sure to assemble one for yourself. It’s a super fun treat every day in December.
    What is a tea advent calendar?

    A tea advent calendar is a type of Christmas countdown activity that includes 24 or 25 packets of tea, individually wrapped to surprise the recipient each day in December.

    How do you make an advent calendar?

    You can assemble an advent calendar in a number of ways. Basically, decide on what will be the daily treat (options range from picture books, socks, candy, chocolate, tea, coffee, or booze) and then wrap each one with a number so the recipient knows which one to open each day in December.

    Can you use loose tea in an advent calendar?

    You can use loose tea in an advent calendar provided you have small airtight containers for storing each day’s worth of tea and a way to label each variety.

    colored envelopes in a clear plastic box, tied with a white bow and a tea quote card on top, for a tea advent calendar.

    More Fun Food Gifts

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      Easy Gingerbread Loaf (Starbucks Copycat Recipe)
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      Easy Homemade Gingerbread Syrup for Coffee & Desserts
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    white spoon and fork on a teal plate logo.

    Tell us what you think!

    We love to hear your experiences with Good Cheap Eats. Click the STARS on the recipe card or leave a STARRED comment to let us know what you think of the recipe.

    colored envelopes in a clear plastic box, tied with a white bow and a tea quote card on top, for a tea advent calendar.

    Tea Advent Calendar

    You've seen a pricy tea advent calendar online but really can't swallow the price. That's okay! You can make a tea advent calendar to gift to a friend for just a fraction of the price.
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Drinks
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Gluten Free
    Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Servings: 1 calendar
    Author: Jessica Fisher
    Cost: $5

    Equipment

    • scissors

    Ingredients

    • 25 tea bags
    • 25 mini envelopes
    • 25 number stickers
    • 1 storage box
    • 1 ribbon
    • 1 tea quote

    Instructions

    • Choose your teas. I had two different sampler packs of tea to mix and match so that my tea advent calendars have a lot of variety in them.
    • Place each tea packet in a small envelope.
    • Seal it with a number sticker.
    • Place the envelopes in order in the box. Close the box and tie it up with ribbon. Attach the tea quote card.

    Notes

    Consider hosting a party to assemble these gifts with friends. Depending on how many people you invite, you can ask each person to bring 1 to 3 boxes of tea. In that way, you can have a wide variety of teas without having to buy designated samplers.
    Tried this recipe?Tell us what you think! Your reviews help us develop better recipes and give newcomers the confidence to try your favorites. Scroll down to leave a starred comment.
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Alice

      November 29, 2022 at 11:13 pm

      5 stars
      What a wonderful idea! Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
    2. Molly

      January 07, 2022 at 4:32 am

      5 stars
      This is a GREAT idea. I used it as the basis for a birthday gift (I’ll email a picture) – I crowd-sourced (via my local buy nothing group) a lot of individual teas, a friend had a box of the perfect sized envelopes, and the envelopes fit perfectly in a box I had (which we wrapped). It turned out fantastic, and I think the recipient will really enjoy it. Thank you for such an awesome idea!

      Reply
    3. Shana

      December 07, 2021 at 8:38 am

      5 stars
      Adorable! I also love the idea of getting a group of friends together in november and creating these for christmas gifts. Thank you!

      Reply
    4. Maya

      November 30, 2021 at 7:01 am

      This a great idea! Thank you for the links for the products you used.

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        November 30, 2021 at 9:13 am

        I’d love to see how it works for you!

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Jessica! I'm a 4x cookbook author and 6x mom. I know what it is to be in a hurry and on a budget. I believe anyone can prepare delicious meals -- no matter what's on their plate. I've been featured on Good Morning America, PBS News Hour, and NBC.

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    cup of tea near tea pot and box holding advent calendar with text overlay.