We moved to North Carolina in mid-October when I was 10 years old. Only about a month later I was introduced to Russian Tea. Since the 1960s Russian Tea has been a Southern classic. Some people say it’s specifically Appalachian but I learned of it in the NC Piedmont.

My friend Wendy brought Russian Tea in fancy jars to our Sunday school and choir leader at our Methodist church as Christmas gifts and she had plenty to share with her friends. It’s a sweet, spicy hot beverage. Recently I read Reese Witherspoon’s grandmother’s recipe, which has red hots candy incorporated but no one I knew ever added those.

I loved this new drink, which I never heard of when we lived in California or Ohio. It brings instant memories of Christmas and church group and choir performances and Sunday school. Now my kids are hooked on it as well. Everyone gets excited when they see the ingredients in the house.

Russian Tea is great to make with your kids. It’s easy and you can make it into very pretty gifts by decorating mason jars with festive cloth, ribbons, and tags. You can watch the video to see how I decorated mine by clicking the button below.

I make these for family and also give them to the mailman, teachers, and anyone who gives us an unexpected gift during the holidays. It’s easy to whip up and I keep the ingredients on hand. Since our son became diabetic I use sugar-free mixes and monk fruit whenever I can find them. I prefer to use caffeine-free tea mix so I can drink this at night and still fall asleep.

​Because this has your entire daily allowance of vitamin C a lot of people drink this when they’re sick. My mother-in-law gave it to her kids whenever they were feeling bad. We mostly drink it just at Christmas time. Just follow the easy recipe to try it:

2 cups Tang orange drink mix
2 cups sugar or substitute (I use monk fruit)
1 cup instant tea powder mix (I use sugar and caffeine free)
1 scoop Country Time Lemonade powder mix
1 TBSP each ground cloves, cinnamon, and allspice (some people also add pumpkin pie spice)

Stir together until all the powders are evenly mixed and keep in an airtight container.

To prepare, stir 1 TBSP Russian Tea into 8oz hot water until the powders dissolve.​

Since today was the last day to ship physical orders for Christmas I have some downtime. I’m spending it making all our holiday favorites like Russian Tea, candy, and hors d’oeuvres and wrapping presents. Jerry is off work for the rest of the year and the kids are home from school so we are just enjoying the season. This morning we watched Christmas movies in our pajamas until noon.

It’s a big change from earlier in the week when I was running around all day like a maniac trying to get everyone’s orders out on time and driving children to all their appointments. That’s why I’m focusing more and more on passive income business strategies like selling digital products and using fulfillment centers for shipping ~ eventually I want my business to run as hands off as possible all year. Take my Christmas Cash Challenge by clicking the button below to find out (in just 10 minutes!) how you can have your passive income business up and running by Christmas with no lawyers, paperwork or even money!

I hope you’re enjoying the season and having a wonderful time. Happy Holidays!