Hot Cranberry Wassail (Blogmas Day 2)

You know this song, right? All together now!

Here we come a-wassailing
Among the leaves so green,
Here we come a-wand’ring
So fair to be seen.

I like to think this drink is so good that it has a hundreds year old Christmas carol written about it, but that’s not exactly the story. The word wassail actually means to wish others good health or good cheer, and it’s derived from the Old English greeting “wes þu hal” which means “Be of good health!” (my concentration in college was medieval English literature, can ya tell? oh…). It evolved into being a toast for festivities and eventually into the name for a hot spiced drink that is enjoyed at Christmas time. Bottom line: you must honor history by making this delicious drink.

We’ve actually been making wassail in my family for quite a few years, it’s become another holiday tradition. It’s really good for company or holiday parties or any time when you want to fill your house with an incredible smell and warm up lots of cold people! A little rum inside makes it extra warming, but of course feel free to omit it for a family friendly drink. Either way it’s absolutely delicious!

Love and joy come to you,
And to you your wassail too;
And God bless you and send you a Happy New Year
And God send you a Happy New Year.

See you tomorrow!

-Lauren