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I love tea. And not just in an occasional cup kind of way; I drink anywhere from 2-5 cups on weekdays. And on the weekend? Too many to count! My love of tea has resulted in a kitchen shelf overflowing with staples such as English Breakfast and Chai and I go through more honey than your average bear. To celebrate Hot Tea Month here's a roundup of some of my favorites which I hope will inspire you to try something new!

Let's start this off with a nod to Smudge Ink's hometown: Boston. Harney & Sons flavored black tea blend is a soft, aromatic surprise for anyone used to drinking a traditional, stiff cup of black tea. I favor it with just a dash of honey but you might find that it's subtle flavor is best enjoyed without any additions. I received a pound of Boston for Christmas—have you ever seen a pound of tea? It's a glorious sight. And it takes up most of my cupboard.

Another Christmas gift was Jasmine Pearl Tea's Red Hot Hibiscus, a spicy herbal blend that brews an inviting bright pink. I love tea with a nice kick and this doesn't disappoint! The tang from the hibiscus is also refreshing. For those of you looking for a caffeinated option, do yourself a favor and try Hot Cinnamon Spice. It's one of most flavorful teas I've ever encountered and is sweet enough that you don't need to add a thing.

Cold and flu season is upon us again and this past week when I came down with a cold I went through a lot of lemon, ginger and honey tea. For the best tasting concoction I chop up some ginger and half a lemon and let it simmer in water for several minutes before straining and adding lots of honey. But another favorite is Yogi Throat Comfort. The licorice taste is quite strong so it's certainly not for everyone! Tip for winter survival: adding a dash of brandy to a cup of Throat Comfort is just the thing—the sweetness of the brandy compliments the warmth of the licorice perfectly.

So of course we just got through the holiday season, but to be honest I stock up on holiday blends in November and December and enjoy them year round. My favorites are Celestial Seasonings Nutcracker Sweet and Harney & Sons Holiday Tea. The Nutcracker Sweet aroma is enough to please any nose and with a spoonful of honey tea bliss is complete. I prefer the Holiday Tea with a dash of milk and honey and love adding more orange pieces from the mix to the tea infuser when I'm feeling the need for more citrus. Looking for a great tea infuser? Check out these fun ones from the Fred!

I'm obviously a Harney & Sons fan and as a result I have quite the tea tin collection. For any of you who have tins that you'd like to reuse, here are some suggestions: they make handy tins for smaller treats (truffles! small cookies!), work well as small herb or succulent planters or you can spruce up your outdoor space with lanterns!

I hope you enjoyed these suggestions and that you find some time to savor a cup of tea today. Cheers!

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This playlist, simply, is for those that hold a classic Christmas nearest and dearest to their hearts. You'll find overtures from your favorite Christmas movies, classic vocalists, and familiar instrumentals. So put this playlist on and enjoy the beauty of the season with a happy smile and share it with the people that you love. Christmas time is here, so bring on the nostalgic cheer! No record player needed. 

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Feliz Navidad, Feliz Navidad, Feliz Navidad, prospero ano y felicidad! This playlist has been hecho to spice up the holiday season with the nuances that only Spanish/Latino music can provide. This year, add a kick to your holiday season in una manera espanola that you may enjoy. You can make enchiladas para Christmas Eve (like some of us here at Smudge), you can substitute regular cinnamon for cinnamon Mexicana (tambien known as la canela), or you can also just trata this playlist. Have we been typing Spanglish this whole time? Wow, I guess the playlist has been a success here in the office thus far! 

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If you read yesterday's blog post, all of us here at Smudge are seasonal (and sometimes even off-seasonal) cult followers of the beloved new-wave Christmas/Holiday movie classic entitled, "Love Actually." In honor of this very special movie, we have created a Smudge Ink playlist devoted solely to the movie's soundtrack. We even put in some extras that didn't make it into the film. How well do you know your "Love Actually" soundtrack? 

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APRIL. Favorite scene: When the Prime Minister is in the car with Natalie and her family members so they can talk on the drive to the school that’s “just around the corner" and the octopus says “We’re here!” And then the Prime Minister says “That really was just around the corner.” Because they were in the car for 30 seconds. I just find it so funny. And so often we’re on a car ride and arrive more quickly than anticipated and it’s very true: “that really was just around the corner.”

DEB. There are so many good scenes so I'm going to share the lines of my favorites. Hugh Grant’s character: “Would we call her chubby?” The young boy (what’s his name?): “Worse than the total agony of being in love?” January Jones in the Wisconsin bar: “And he’s a Christian!” Colin Firth character: “She’s in” (when Aurelia dives in the lake). Also, I love the translation of Colin Firth’s proposal.

SARAH. So I have thought about this a lot, replaying my favorite scenes in my mind again and again to try and choose a favorite. And then I realized that it's obvious! My favorite part is the one I rewind, sometimes two or three times, whenever I watch the film: the scene where the Prime Minister and his chauffeur sing "Good King Wenceslas." Hugh Grant's expression when his driver joins in is priceless and worth seeing more than once in one sitting! 

CLAYTON. It's hard to define a favorite scene. The funniest? The most romantic? The most heart-wrenching? The cutest? Consider me a gooshy, but honestly my favorite scene would have to be the opening credits. These credits document live footage of loved ones greeting each other in the Heathrow Airport while Hugh Grant briefly narrates that despite all the seemingly bad in the world, "If you look for it, [he's] got a sneaky feeling you'll find that love actually is all around." The scene is sentimental and candid. Beautifully orchestrated opening credits, I'll say.

ERIN. It's hard to choose one part as my favorite, but I think i'll go with the end montage where Jamie (Colin Firth) goes off to propose to Aurelia and is accompanied by the whole town. At the same time you get clips of Sam running after Joanna in the airport. The music swells and and you can't help but root for them! 

GEORGE. I'd have to say my favorite scene is the Prime Minister dancing his way through the house. It's impossible to not laugh at this scene, but it also reminds me of how I feel when it's just me and the presses after everyone has gone home and I can crank the music ... not that I can compete with those moves, though! 

MOLLY. It's so hard to choose! I definitely have a favorite scene for each story line. But I think my favorite would have to be the scene when Emma Thompson's character Karen gets to the Joni Mitchell CD from Harry. When she goes upstairs and cries with Mitchell's song "Both Sides Now" playing - it's heartbreaking and authentic and beautiful all at once. It gets me every time! 

SABRINA. I'm going to have to piggy back off Sarah on this one. The kids in the caroling scene just crack me up: "Please, sir, please. Please." And then they just all start jumping and dancing in all of their sparkly girly flair. Plus, one of little girls is wearing glasses. 

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