Welcome to the Shire

Not exactly what you think. Enjoy.

Just keep watching.

Sheer genius and a lot of work too!

These are excellent teas and great gifts for tea lovers. Even some coffee addicts (like me) appreciate teas from Teavana.

They have lots of great tea. White, oolong, rooibos. Great tea accessories too.

My favorites:

Monkey-Picked Oolong. Pricey at $25 for two ounces, but worth it. You get whole, unbroken, oolong tea leaves. There is an old Chinese legend of monks that trained monkeys to pick Oolong tea leaves from the inaccessible heights in the high mountains of China.

Peach Momotaro Artisan Tea. Hand-tied, peach scented tea composed of delicate white tea leaves and blooms beautifully into a chrysanthemum and jasmine bouquet upon steeping. Very cool to watch.

Queen of Babylon®. White tea blended with pomegranate seeds, sour cherries, sweet carrot bits, apple and pineapple pieces.

If you’re going to make it a gift, consider getting the tea along with a tea pot or Teamaker.

A glass teapot. Great for watching the jasmine tea pearls bloom. Oooh I want one of these!

Cast Iron Tea Pot. Handmade in Japan of solid cast iron with a fully enameled inside and a stainless steel basket for your tea leaves. I want one of these too!

The Teavana Perfect Teamaker. A nifty gadget to brew tea. Just add loose tea, hot water and steep. Drain the tea by placing it onto your favorite mug. (We’ve got several of these.)

You can order online, or find a store near you. For me, the nearest one is at The Commons in Bridgewater, New Jersey.

Oh, and if you visit a store, you can sample some of the tea that’s been brewed.

We have been Lushies for years (Lushies are Lush fans). We used to buy Lush in England many years ago even before it was introduced to the United States. It’s pricey, but the quality is tremendous. Soaps, bath bombs, shampoo, conditioner, hennas…all natural and 100 percent cruelty free.

Now that Lush has been introduced is some Macy’s stores (Menlo Park Mall for me), we’re never without Lush. Even my 23-year-old Lushie Diva loves the products.

Every Christmas season they provide unique boxed gift sets. The best set is the Charity Box. With each Charity Box purchased, 100 percent of the retail price is donated to select charities. These charities include Unite For Children against Aids, International Fund for Animal Welfare, and Bicycles For Humanity.

Click here for a complete list of Lush charities.

To find a store near you, click here.

You won’t be disappointed giving these gifts. Nor will you be disappointed using them yourself.