The tradition of leaving milk and cookies for Santa has been around quite awhile. There are also variations: hot cocoa and cookies, eggnog and brownies, coffee and donuts, and even beverages of a somewhat “harder” nature. My experience, though, is that the best quality and most numerous gifts result from leaving tea and cookies for Santa!

Yes, it’s true. Santa is a dedicated tea lover. He slurps his way from house to house, dropping off presents and marking who’s naught-TEA and who has nice TEA! His taste in tea knows no limits either. Unlike some of us who refrain from certain types of teas such as those loaded with various flavorings (fruits, flower petals, spices, scents, etc.) or those herbals that many vendors call “tea” (such as rooibos, honeybush, and chamomile), he likes it all. So the sky is the limit here!

Price really isn’t an issue either. Santa will drink affordable teas from Sri Lanka (Ceylon), Kenya, and elsewhere, but he will also savor the delights of some matcha, “Iron Goddess,” dragon pearls, alishan, or some nice aged pu-erh, and then leave under your Christmas tree not only the gifts his elves made for you and your family but the gifts for those who left him that milk — ugh!

You can also steep up a hot pot of such popular brands as Barry’s, PG Tips, and Typhoo. I know for a fact that Santa likes these teas extra strong and with milk and sweetener. He can go for a nice package of chocolate McVitie’s Digestives, too, and yes, Santa is a dunker. He doesn’t even mind if some of the chocolate gets into his tea.

Other cookie options are Highland Directors Shortbread Selection – 35.3oz (1kg), Walkers Scottish Biscuit Selection – 17.63oz (500g), Fox’s Vinnie Panda Tin – 16.75oz (475g), and Jacobs USA Tin – 2.2lb (1000g). I’m sure these will please Santa. Whichever you choose, leave him the whole package so you don’t look like you’re trying to put him on a diet. It’s not nice to imply that Santa is a bit … um … well … less than svelte!

Follow this advice, and see how much your haul of Christmas loot increases. My share will be a modest 10% of your stack of stuff, or better yet, just leave me a pot of tea and a package of cookies. Ho ho ho!!

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