Make A Spiced Hot Drink Mix Gift Jar

It's the time of year to be preparing lists and getting your gifts together for the holiday season. I like to give homemade gifts whenever possible. It's more fun and personal; and it's usually a money saver, too!

In a previous post I explained how to make a Spiced Hot Drink Mix. Today I'm going to show you how easy it is to turn this yummy mix into a great gift to give throughout fall and winter. I also provide free downloadable tags that include instructions for using the mix.

This mix is a favorite gift of mine, because:

• It's versatile enough to use in anyone's favorite hot beverage: cider, cocoa, coffee, tea, wine, juice. You name it!
• It's great for making spiced drinks by the cup or big pots on the stove or in the crock pot.
• It's inexpensive.
• It's fast, easy, and doesn't require any cooking skill. You just mix together brown sugar and spices, fill your jars, and you're done.
• It can be made ahead and stored--easy to have on hand for gifts as you need them throughout the season.
• It's a perfect gift for neighbors, co-workers, hostesses, teachers, and friends.
• It's a great party drink or party favor.

Here are the step-by-step instructions for turning this easy mix into gift jars. 

Step 1. Make a batch of Spiced Hot Drink Mix. Here's the recipe.

View and Print Spiced Hot Drink Mix Recipe

Step 2. Assemble these supplies

• a batch of Spiced Hot Drink Mix (one batch makes 6 cups of mix)
• jars --for smaller gifts, use 1/2 pint (1 cup) wide or regular jars, or 4 oz. (1/2 cup) jars.
• gift tags (different options are downloadable--see below)
• hole punch and pen
• ribbon, string, or yarn
• scissors

I used this natural hemp string for tying on my tags. These are the 3 jars sizes I used. The tall and medium height ones are both 1/2 pint (1 cup) jars. The small jar is 4 oz. (1/2 cup). A full batch of Spiced Hot Mix is enough to fill 6 of the 1/2 pint jars or 12 of the 4 oz. jars. 

Step 3. Select and print out a sheet of gift cards.

You can print on whatever paper or card stock you like. I used parchment colored card stock for mine. If you don't have a printer or card stock, stop by a Kinkos or an office supply store that has a printing center. They can print sheets of tags for you; it doesn't cost much. You can copy the gift tags file onto a flash drive to give them; or tell them our TheYummyLife.com web address and let them access the tags on their computer. 

You may choose from 2 different tag designs. One can be personalized with "to" and "from". The other tag is generic and can be given to anyone.

Step 4. Cut a gift card from the sheet, cutting carefully just outside the border.

Step 5.  For shorter jars, use a hole punch to punch 2 holes approx. 1 inch apart in the top center of the card. This way the card will hang straight (the smaller jars are too short for the tag to hang at an angle). For taller jars, you can punch a hole in either upper corner of the gift card and hang it at an angle, if you prefer. If you're using the tag that can be personalized, fill out the "To" and "From" with a pen.

Step 6. Fill your jar(s) with Spiced Hot Drink Mix.

Step 7. Wrap the string around the rim of the jar lid, thread the string or ribbon through the punched holes making sure to center the tag in the front of the jar, and tie a bow in the front. You can knot the ends of the string, or knot not. (Couldn't resist. Sorry.) Here's a short 1/2 pint jar, and a 4 oz. jar, tied with a tag and ready to give.

I made up a bunch of 4 oz. jars to give as favors to guests at a party I'm having in a couple of weeks. Here are the front and back views. The tags are just the right height.

I also bagged these small jars up in blue for a baby shower--perfect for fall & winter party favors. To read more about the shower and mix jar party favors, see my post:

A December Baby Shower Brunch

Another option. To jazz up this gift a different way, give a jar of Spiced Hot Drink Mix along with a mug and some cinnamon sticks. I put some colored paper filler in the bottom of the mug so the jar would be a bit higher and more visible over the top of the mug.

Who wouldn't love this gift? It truly works for everyone, since this mix can be used in such a variety of beverages. You can use different seasonal mugs to customize this for the time of year--a mug with a Christmas, Hanukkah, or snow theme would be great for winter.

It's not too early to get going on your holiday gift lists. I hope this idea helps.

Make it a yummy day!

Other post about gifts from the kitchen:

• Double Chocolate Hot Cocoa Mix--With Gift Jar Tags
• Make Caramel Apple Gift Bags and Tags
• Say "Thanks" With A Cookie Gift Bag 
• Make A Banana Bread Mix Gift Jar 
• Make A Granola Gift Jar