Content, product testing and layout by

Borden Communications + Design

Whether you're a social drinker, a celebratory sipper, or just need a stiff one

to get you through the holidays, then we've got the spiked spirit for you.

If you're a non-drinker or a minor, don't fret, we have a sweet spirit for you, too!

Raise a glass and celebrate life - and do it well.

No Mwa Mwa. How about forgoing those

handshakes and social kisses for a good ol' fist

bump? Against what you might believe, a scientific

study actually showed that people who greet each

other with handshakes are much more likely to pass

on flus, colds and stomach bugs, than cheek kissing

each other. It makes sense when you think about it,

plus you have no idea what someone has been

touching before you greet them. I guess this isn't

perfectly adaptable advice for a work event, but for

your social circle, it could be a good option!

Sharing is Caring? Not for everything. While

sharing is one of those first “kind” lessons we learn

as kids, there are exceptions. It goes without saying

that there should be no sharing of eating utensils,

drinking glasses, towels or other personal care

items. Community food is, um, gross. Dishes of

snacks that people reach into for a nibble are germ-

ier than you can imagine (don't ask for more

details). When serving guests, put utensils with

each dish so people can spoon out or fork over the

food instead of reaching their hands in. And

certainly, no double dipping!

What's a flu-fearing, germ-wary, anxiety-ridden person

supposed to do during the holiday (read: flu) season?

Party it up in style and in good health.

Add the following to your holiday list to stay healthy and happy,

then, you’ll be able to knock a few back with your friends and family

rather than getting knocked off your feet!

Avoid M.C.I.S. You can prevent M.C.I.S. - Mistaken

Cup Identity Syndrome (you know, when someone

takes a cup and puts it down next to another, and

then both people have to get new cups or

inadvertently drink from each others??). If you are

using disposables - buy cups made from better

materials (labeled “compostable” or "100% recycled

content" etc...). Have everyone mark their cup with

a marker (get creative!). You can also use window

markers to write on your glassware (it will come off

in the wash, but not on your guests' hands), or

better yet, a different accent coloured glass straw in

everyone's drinks serving double duty as

identification and eliminating those plastic straws

or stir sticks.

Wash your hands CLEAN. The 3 crucial components

to a good hand washing: warm water, soap, and

friction (nothing beats this!). It decreases your

likelihood of spreading a virus to your nose, mouth

or other people. Wet your hands with warm water,

lather well by rubbing hands together (be sure to

cover all surfaces and in between fingers) while you

sing the ABC's (in your head if you are tone deaf like

me), or feel free to choose your favourite song. Rinse

thoroughly and dry well. A cloth hand towel is the

eco-friendly choice, but we're going for health-

friendly at holiday parties, so recycled paper towels

will do the trick (unless you have lots of cloth

napkins and lots of laundry). Wash your hands

before eating, before AND after going to the

bathroom (your hands should be clean before you

handle!), after coughing, sneezing, or blowing your

nose, before preparing food and after handling any

raw meat/poultry/egg, and certainly a good wash is

called for as soon as you come home.

Be Anti-Anti-Bacterial. Firstly, many sicknesses are

viral, not bacterial, so plain, old soap and water will

get you just as clean as any anti-bacterial product

(see above). Our culture is germ obsessed and our

obsession has encouraged the flood of products on

store shelves with anti-bacterial or anti-microbial

claims. It's always best to wash your hands clean in

a sink, but especially when on the go, with kids, or

party hopping, keep something on hand (pun

intended) that will clean and sanitize safely-

without triclosan or other nasty chemicals.

Take cover. Stay home when you are sick. It's the

right thing to do for everyone, including you,

because when your immunity is low you can pick

up other germs more easily…yuck. Steep some tea,

pour a bowl of soup, crank up the vitamins and rest,

allowing your body to heal. Don't let stress

undermine a quick recovery and try and enjoy your

forced time out. If you are hosting and someone in

your home has a bad cold or the flu, cancel. Even if

you confine a sick child to their room for the party,

it doesn't confine the germs around your home

from earlier in the day. Yes, it's a disappointment,

but your guests will be much more upset if they

catch something and have to spend the rest of their

holidays in bed.

Take cover, some more. Cover your mouth when

you sneeze (with your arm, not your hand), and

avoid anyone who doesn't (teach your kids!).

Drink and be merry. Staying hydrated is one of the

best things you can do for yourself. Always. The

suggestions in the Borden Communications Holiday

Drinking Guide should help you take care of this

one with ease!

This holiday season,

we hope that you are able to share great times

with your friends, colleagues and families

without sharing your germs.

Raise a glass to toast good cheer and good health!

Happy Holidays!

Whether it's stored baby fat or you're growing a belly to keep warm over the holidays, we aren't judging... we promise! Chug Away!

Artisanal BeerBeau’s All Natural Brewing Company believes quality comes

from using the best ingredients - local spring water and 100%

certified organic malt and hops. There are 600ml of tasty beer

in each custom moulded glass bottle. Share (or don’t!).

Beau's Beer at www.beaus.ca

Straight from the RootThe best part of what’s in this glass bottle? This super tasty

craft soda has no calories and no nasties! These non-

alcoholic bottles of root beer will make everyone happy.

Great tasting on it’s own, or as a float.

Birdie and Bill’s Root Beer at www.birdieandbills.com

Reform Yourself

Upcycled from actual beer bottles by being heated and then

reformed, each one of these glasses is a true original.

The artists making these in Ontario have been dedicated

to glass blowing for over 25 years.

Organic Beer Glass at www.artechstudios.ca

What a SteelPut down the plastic and pick up a pint. Steel that is. This

16oz durable, dishwasher safe, stainless steel cup won’t fill

your garbage can or landfill like that all too common red cup.

Cheers, to the beginning of the end of the single-use plastics.

Steel Pint Cup at www.kleankanteen.com

No, we're not talking about your behavior at your family events!

Anti-Snob WineConnect with friends (and the environment) over a bottle of

carefully blended VQA wine made with organically grown

grapes that is also certified biodynamic. Bonus: bottles are

made from glass from the Ontario Bag-it-Back program.

Connect Red at www.southbrook.com

Perfect PuntsWine Punts collects bottles from local restaurants in their

community and gives them a beautiful new life. These artful

drinking glasses are handmade from the old wine bottles so

you can feel good about doing good with every sip you take.

Wine Punts at www.winepunts.com

It’s in the Skins

Throw in a scoop of Bioflavia’s organic red wine grape seed

powder (no, not alcoholic!) into your smoothies. This

superfood booster gives you a high dose of vitamins and

antioxidants. Bonus that they’re grown in Canada!

Bioflavia at www.southbrook.com

Un-wineThe grapes used to make this Red Grape Juice are organic,

and biodynamically grown in Niagara Ontario. This gives

it a distinctive taste that you just won’t find

anywhere else. 100% juice. 0% alcohol.

Organic Red Grape Juice at www.filsingersorganic.com

A boost to help you stay healthy and keep up with your happy, cheery celebrations!

Ohhh-Mega

Hydrate and nourish your body and soul with this beautiful

and delicious bev that has chia seeds suspended in fruit juices.

Each glass bottle is packed with heart and brain healthy omega

3’s, and they’re all certified organic, and gmo-free too!

Mamma Chia at www.mammachia.com

Tea-licious

Kombucha, an effervescent fermented tea-based beverage,

tastes a bit like soda pop and might even remind you of beer

(except it’s sold in grocery stores). There are many flavours,

but all have a long list of anecdotal health benefits.

Tonica Kombucha at www.tonicakombucha.com

Smooth Shrooms

This mushroom hot chocolate shot is smooth, creamy, anti-

ageing and stress relieving. XOCO Blue contains log grown red

Reishi mushroom extract, cacao powder, and herbs and spices

for a warm, healthy dessert superfood beverage.

Four Sigma at www.rawelements.ca

As Green as it Gets

Wheatgrass is packed with antioxidants and is immediately

absorbed into the bloodstream giving you an instant boost of

energy. If you’re not buying fresh and juicing it yourself, not

to worry, you can buy it in frozen cubes or powder format too.

Organic Wheat Grass at www.evergreenjuices.com

Chat your way through everything with grand finesse!

Blend 'n Snap You may not realize that you need this appliance, but

it’s life changing (seriously). Fully automatic (once you

add ingredients, of course) making smooth drinks, plus

hot soups and cool ice cream in just seconds.

Blendtec at www.blendtec.com

Smoothe as SakeIs it a wine? Is it a spirit? This fermented organic sake

deserves it’s own category. Its body and flavour goes down

smooth and is unparalleled by any other beverage experience.

Drink it straight or mix it up into a tasty cocktail.

Organic Junmai Ginjo Craft Sake at www.sakeone.com

Smooth Sipping Daedra’s handmade glass straws look fabulous, come with a

lifetime guarantee and will keep you from putting toxic

plastic in your mouth and drink. As a bonus, everything

goes down smoother (and tastes better) with a straw.

Strawesome Glass Straw at www.strawesome.com

Create your OwnIf egg nog isn't for you (and we really can't blame you) or you

are trying to lighten up (calories or packaging) then throw

your fave fruits, some ice and any liquid (almond milk,

coconut water, juice, etc...) and blend it up.

It just doesn't get any smoother!

Get deeply steeped before you get deeply engaged in holiday activities!

A Clean Steep

Make the perfect cup of tea without bleached tea bags,

strings and staples. Your loose leaf has a cover to keep the

goodness in, then flips off and over to be a coaster,

so you can reuse your leaves for another cup.

NewLeaf Glass Tea Mug at www.forlifedesign.com

The Bee's Knees

Manuka Honey has clinically proven anti-bacterial and

anti-inflamatory properties, plus it’ll naturally sweeten

your tea. Good for everyday use, but make sure you

use extra of this raw honey to fight flus and a sore throat.

Wedderspoon Manuka Honey at www.wedderspoon.ca

Better Bags

You can’t always steep a pot of loose leaf when you’re on the

go, but you can always carry with you some bags filled with

hand picked organic and fair trade teas and herbs. Numi’s are

blended with real fruits, flowers, and spices - nothing else.

Numi Organic Tea at www.numitea.com

Hanging Loose

Why cramp tea leaves into a potentially toxic little bag when

you can let whole tea leaves (with their oils in tact and

not crushed) float around and result in a delightful and

tasteful cup of tea full of antioxidants to enjoy?

Level Ground Teas at www.levelground.com

Too hot to handle? Not you! Housewarmings or Body Warming, but not Global Warming.

Green Beans

Good on our tastebuds, and on our planet too. Made with

certified organic Arabica beans, this fair-trade coffee is

roasted to perfection in Toronto. If you’re a double/double

kind of person, this stuff might make you go black.

Roasted Coffee at www.23degreesroastery.com

Keep it on the inside

It keeps your hot drinks toasty for 6 hours (and cold drinks

frosty for up to 24 hours) - and with its leakproof lid, you can

make a beverage to go & throw it in your bag. Great for

taking hot drinks to the ski mountain or ice rink.

Insulated Kanteen at www.kleankanteen.com

Let it Mellow

Tastes like marshmallow, but thankfully is not anything like

those conventional ones (do you know what's in those?!

total yuck). Stir a spoonful of this white fluffiness right

into your hot chocolate or scoop a dollop on top.

Ricemellow Creme at www.suzannes-specialties.com

Chocolate Hottie

Fair trade, organic, pure and unrefined, plus made by the

most incredible, socially responsible company we know, these

chocolate “pucks” melt into your cup, satisfy all of your coco

cravings and will put an smile on everyone’s face.

Drinking Chocolate at www.chocosoltraders.com

Drink a lot if water. Every single day. It’ll help you look younger and feel younger. Cheers to that.

Simply Charcoal

Kishu Charcoal sticks are the new, old way to filter tap water!

The charcoal takes away all the bad stuff in water, but knows

to leave the good stuff in. Fully compostable and reusable,

you can even place it in the fridge to wick away odours.

Kishu at www.kishucharcoal.com

Pure as Water

With its natural, innovative design and a resolutely

green approach, this water filtration unit's technology

is truly inspired by nature. It also happens to be exquisite

to look at. Why try to improve perfection?

Aqua Ovo at www.aquaovo.com

Lump o' Coal

This year, you'll only get a lump of coal if you’re really, really

good! Fill this handmade glass water bottle with tap water,

and the White Coal (black in colour) will absorb chlorine,

improve the taste, and add minerals for pure hydration.

Sort of Coal at www.sortofcoal.com

On the Rocks

You don’t want to worry about BPA and other plastic chems

becoming part of your ice cubes, right? These trays made

from high quality stainless steel will keep you and your

family safe, plus your drinks icy cold too.

Stainless Ice Cube Tray at www.fenigo.com

Stay hydrated, it's one of the best thingsyou can do for your body (hair, skin, and nails too!)

Drink your Produce

The water from fruits and veggies is one of the most nutrient

dense liquids nature has provided us. But don’t buy juice filled

with added sugars and preservatives, make your own (with

organic produce of course) so you know exactly what’s in it.

And drink right away for ultimate quality and freshness!

Power Powder

This highly concentrated dry formula contains the juices from

fresh organic coconuts that you add to your good local water

source. Bring this with you anywhere, anytime, to get instant

on-demand electrolytes and a natural energy boost.

Coconut Powder at www.navitasnaturals.com

Micro Greens

Super greens, brightly coloured fruits & vegetables,

phytonutrients, and a potent blend of digestive plant based

enzymes, with no artificial anything. Mix with water, coconut

water, or juice and you'll get a super-hydrator beverage.

BIOCORE Food Science at www.biocorefood.com

Coo Coo for Coco(nut) Rehydrate and replenish with nature’s sport drink and

best electrolyte. With more potassium than a banana,

low acidity, no fat, no sugar added and no cholesterol,

you should be chugging lots of this water....often.

Coconut Water at www.purebodybeverages.com