I stopped at the grocery store tonight, after work. I was only going to pick up one or two things. Needless to say, that didn't quite work out as well as planned. Most of the items I picked up were needed sooner or later. I wish I could say as much for the three boxes of tea I snagged. I knew I didn't need them... but they've been tempting me since the Christmas teas arrived! And there weren't many left! So I figured I had better get them, while they're still there! (What if I got one of the last boxes, and liked it... and went back to get some, only to find that they were out, until next year?!)
Still, I had good intentions. I was. not. going. to. buy. tea. I had just bought three boxes last week, when I was in the Christmas Tree Shops store. It was quite exciting, finding two of my favorite kinds of tea there, for less than they are in the grocery store... and, I have traditionally gotten another kind there, so I went ahead and got that, while I was on my tea buying spree. Those three boxes, however, were still sitting on the kitchen table, waiting to find a spot in the tea cupboard.
I made a big mistake, though; I wandered through the tea aisle. What was I thinking?! Apparently I wasn't... and, as I strolled through, there was a box that practically jumped off the shelf, screaming BUY ME! BUY ME! it was like the drum-playing monkey came to life, insisting that I try its tea. And, really, who can resist a fez-wearing, drum-playing monkey that's screaming BUY ME?! Especially when it's selling Moroccan Pomegranate red tea? So, since it was one of the seasonal teas that appears to be disappearing quickly, I decided that I might as well appease the drumming monkey.
Unfortunately, that darn monkey was not satisfied once it was in my cart (that was probably my problem; I usually only get what I can carry... but I didn't want to carry the gallon of milk through the store). I stopped by the holiday display, on my way out of that section. Oh boy. Big mistake. I noticed that the two types I had been eying were stacked significantly lower than they had previously appeared. Needless to say, I bought a box of each.... even though White Christmas (mint), and Merry Mint aren't exactly needed to round out my already abundant stash of Candy Cane Lane... and Plantation Mint.
The thing is, I always want to try these Christmas teas. They look so festive and delicious. When I get them home and brew a bag, they taste like pond water seasoned with a dash of nutmeg and a whole lot of sweetened stuff. But I want to try them, in hopes that I'll love them... and have something to obsessively look forward to, as soon as stores start rolling out the Christmas tea displays. I'm halfway convinced that the hype over Christmas teas isn't the tea itself, but the festive boxes.
Sure, you can get boring looking (but perfectly fine tasting) tea all year long. But, the festive stuff? That's only once a year. It might taste like a gingerbread factory exploded in your cup, but it sure did come in a festive box! Now... if only I could make it through the rest of the holiday season without any more superfluous tea purchases...
Comments (2)
How many cups of tea do you have per day?
@NightCometh - I usually have between one and three... unless I make a pot of loose leaf, and then I'll have a bit more :D