Spring will officially be here in a couple of days. Actually, it's starting to feel pretty spring-y around here already. This year, the first day of spring happens to fall on the final Friday before spring break – which means you may be ringing in the season with a bunch of really, REALLY excited children. It's a good idea to be prepared. May we suggest a springtime fairy-tale tea party?   

"The Twelve Days of Christmas" is generally agreed to be  a really bad place to seek gift-giving inspiration.  No one wants that many birds at one time, and twelve drummers would just wreak utter havoc on your house.  So what do you actually do to make your true love's Christmas a happy one, without drowning them in dancers and pipers and swans?  Allow us to make a few suggestions...

Tao of Tea teas and blends are traditionally hand-processed, using the entire tea leaf instead of crushed-up pieces and stems. This process can be slow, so most tea companies tend to avoid it; only 5% of all tea in the world is created this way. Full-leaf teas are more than worth it, though – they stay fresh longer and are more flavorful.