Christmas 'Cheers' for all the family

Share Christmas 'Cheers' with all the family this year.

We’ve always been suckers for a grown-up festive drink, so we want to make sure the kids are very much included!

With so many other treats around though, we wanted to suggest some truly happy healthy Christmas drinks for children…here are our four favourite festive family drinks made with Small & Wild tea.

How about a spice-infused, warming mulled tea or refreshing Christmas punch for your kids this year? Let us know which takes your fancy!

And of course if your pressed for time, there's our Mint Choco and Toffee Apple special edition which are a taste of the season in their own right.

The Happa-cino

Our Happy Toucan blend with warming rooibos, cinnamon and vanilla is so on season anyway, but give it some extra pizzaz by turning it into a very special Happa-cino.

Frothy Happy Toucan drink with oat milk and cinnamon stick in toucan mug on rustic board

Ingredients (serves 1):

  • 1 Happy Toucan tea bag

  • 100ml of milk or your preferred alternative (we recommend Oatly Barista as it foams really well and is also completely plant-based) 

  • Sprinkling of ground cinnamon (grated nutmeg and cocoa optional)

  • Cinnamon stick

Method:

  • Pop the tea bag in a mug (like our special Happy Toucan cup), fill half with warm water (around 70 degrees is perfect, or freshly boil and allow to cool slightly)

  • Put 100ml of milk in a pan and froth with a whisk whilst you gently heat (or use a milk frother if you have one)

  • When the milk is warm carefully pour into the mug, allowing all the lovely frothiness to settle on top

  • Sprinkle with ground cinnamon. You could even combine with grated nutmeg, cinnamon and cocoa for an even more flavour packed topping, and for a real wow factor - try making a Christmas themed stencil and sprinkling your powder topping onto this!

  • Pop in a cinnamon stick as the ultimate festive stirrer 

Mulled Merry Tiger Tea

Mulled tea is becoming more and more popular, especially using hibiscus and rosehip based blends. We came across this gorgeous recipe in Olive Magazine and have adapted it using our Merry Tiger. This drink brings you all the festive flavours but is much lower in sugar than a classic mulled apple juice for example. Not only is it delicious for the whole family to enjoy, it also makes the house smell divine!  

Mulled merry tiger tea with slice of orange and cinnamon stick in glass mug

Ingredients (serves 4):

  • 2 Merry Tiger tea bags

  • 1 star anise

  • 2 cinnamon sticks

  • 3 cloves

  • 1 cardamon pod

  • 4 orange slices

  • 120ml pomegranate juice (ideally pure, not from concentrate)

  • 1 tbsp of honey (optional) 

Method:

  • Bring 500ml water to boil in a pan, add the tea bags and spices, and very gently simmer for 10 minutes

  • Then add the orange slices and pomegranate juice and simmer for 15 minutes. 

  • Strain the tea to remove the spices and tea bags, and pour back into the pan along with the orange slices. 

  • Sweeten with honey to taste if required

  • Serve with an orange slice in each cup

Jolly Punch

Amongst all the excitement the festivities bring, it’s also important to keep everyone well hydrated. There’s no need for that to be a chore though with our super yummy, super refreshing Christmas punch recipe for kids - Jolly Croc Punch.

Jolly Croc punch with fruit pieces and ice

Ingredients (4 – 6 servings):

  • 5 Jolly Croc tea bags 

  • Frozen strawberries

  • Frozen pineapple 

  • Any other fruits that take your fancy! 

Method:

  • Find a suitable punch vessel – either a jug or large bowl

  • Add tea bags

  • Cover with boiling water and leave for 4 minutes

  • Top up with approx. 750ml of cold water

  • Add your fruits (we like to use frozen fruits for this, particular as they aren’t seasonal for this time of year, they also tend to last better in the punch, plus they act as some additional ice cubes!)

  • Add a handful of ice cubes 

  • Leave for 10 mins to allow the flavour to infuse

  • Keep on hand to be enjoyed throughout the day

Snoozy Christmas Eve

If your kids are anything like ours, the excitement of the festive period means that bedtime doesn’t always run smoothly. And whilst a few late nights are to be expected, we all know what can happen when kids get over-tired.

So to bring on some evening sleepiness with our Snoozy Fox tea - perfect for popping in a Christmas Eve box as an ideal wind down treat! This blend is packed full of calming ingredients like camomile and lavender, along with spearmint which is great for helping digest all that festive food. Pair it with some foods that are known to induce sleep like blueberries and oh so seasonal walnuts. 

For something even more substantial, how about a low sugar banana bread – bananas contain potassium and magnesium, both of which are great for sleep. We love Mary Berry’s seed-topped recipe – and will often cut the sugar by a third and use a wholemeal self-raising flour. 

We’d love to see pics of any of these Christmas drinks you try out at home, and of course hear how they go down. Happy festive hydrating!

Kate & Becky x