One of my favorite things about the holiday season besides the lights, decorations, and gathering with family, is cozying up under a blanket and drinking something warm.

As a part of my “book a week” challenge last year, I read the Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living. Hygge (pronounced hyoo guh) in a rough translation means coziness. The Danish attribute hygge as one of the top reasons why Denmark is consistently at the top of the happiness rankings despite being one of the coldest places to live.

I realized that Hygge is basically all the things I love about the holidays–lights, coziness, being with loved ones and enjoying something warm.

So, here are four of my favorite warm and, of course, plastic-free drinks to enjoy over the holidays:

• Apple Cider
• Peppermint Hot Cocoa
• Mulled Wine
• Coffee

Easy Apple Cider

I love apple cider. Growing up, one of my favorite things to do during the holiday season was to get a Caramel Apple Spice at Starbucks and walk around Christmas Card Lane. Eventually, I realized I was being overcharged for steamed apple juice with a little bit of cinnamon and caramel flavoring and decided to make my own.

So, instead, I get a big glass bottle of apple juice. I pour some into a mug and heat it up in the microwave. I add a little sprinkle of cinnamon and sip all the goodness.

It’s easy, much cheaper, and not as sweet as the Starbucks version. Win, win, win!

Apple Cider

If the microwaved version of apple cider is not your style, try a homemade stove-top version.

Ingredients:

• 8 Cups Apple Juice
• 1 Apple
• 1 Orange
• 20 Whole Cloves
• 2 Cinnamon Sticks

Cut the apples and slice the oranges. Stick the cloves into the apple.

Add ingredients to a pot and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for an hour. You can keep simmering to intensify the flavors for an additional hour depending on your tastes.

One of the best parts about stove-top apple cider is that your kitchen smells like a warm hug while the cider is simmering. Who doesn’t love a warm hug?

Peppermint Hot Cocoa

When I need something a little sweeter or more indulgent, peppermint hot cocoa is my go-to drink.

You could easily do this with a packet of hot cocoa and simply stir in a candy cane. My office provides hot cocoa packets and before going plastic-free I used to keep candy canes in my desk at work specifically to make peppermint hot chocolate.

If you want to make it from scratch, you can get cocoa powder or chocolate chips in the bulk section. (For a refresher course on bulk shopping, check out “Bulk Shopping for Beginners“.) To get the peppermint flavor, you can find peppermint extract in glass bottles.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

If using cocoa powder, substitute the chocolate chips with 2 tablespoons cocoa powder and 1 tablespoon of sugar.

Add ingredients to a pot and heat on medium until the chocolate melts. Adjust sugar, chocolate, and peppermint levels according to your tastes and enjoy!

You can also make an “adult” version by substituting the peppermint extract with some Peppermint Schnapps. Clearly, not appropriate at the office. 🙂

Mulled Wine

Mulled Wine is a warmed spiced version of sangria. I’m a Ina Garten fan so, here is her recipe

Ingredients:

• 4 cups apple cider
• 1 bottle red wine
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 orange, zested and juiced
• 4 whole cloves
• 3 star anise

You want to pick a more bold, full-bodied red wine such as a Syrah or Malbec.

Combine ingredients in a pot. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Let it simmer for 10 minutes.

Filter out the components and pour the wine into mugs. Garnish with orange slices and/or cinnamon sticks and enjoy!

Coffee

I love the smell of coffee. After getting pregnant with my first child I gave up caffeine (I didn’t want my baby hopped up on caffeine all the time). After two pregnancies I found that if I drink caffeine now, I get jittery and feel really sick. So, I stick with decaf. And preferably organic decaf since most regular decaf coffees use harsh chemicals to remove the caffeine.

My husband bought a Chemex Coffeemaker last year and this is our plastic-free way of making coffee. Using a paper filter or a stainless steel filter you place it in the top of the funnel. Then scoop coffee grounds into the filter and pour hot water over the coffee grounds. More detailed instructions for ratio and technique come with the coffeemaker but that’s the gist.

Whipped Cream

Whipped Cream is the perfect topping for any of the sweet drinks. (I wouldn’t recommend whipped cream on mulled wine but if that’s your jam…no judgement here!)

Homemade whipped cream is so much better than the canned or plastic tub versions. Plus, you can get heavy whipping cream in glass bottles from Straus dairy!

The top is still plastic but when you return the glass bottle for your $2 deposit back, Straus washes, sanitizes, and reuses the bottles! So much less waste than a regular whipping cream carton that usually ends up in landfill. I talk more about why most recyclables end up in landfill in “Recycling is Not the Answer“.

Back to whipped cream! Here is how you make it:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 Tablespoons sugar

Whisk ingredients with a mixer until the cream forms soft peaks. You can also add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon vanilla if you’d like.

So easy, right?

Are you ready to try some of these drinks over the holidays? What are some of your favorite drinks to cozy up with? Tell me in the comments!

For related posts, check out:

• Plastic-Free Holiday Gift Guide
• The Perfect Plastic-Free Hostess Gift