After Christmas Tea

This post is for all my tea party friends out there...and I am NOT speaking politically! As I was putting away all of my Christmas decorations I realized that I had not taken time to have one single tea party

during the Christmas season! What a shame!  It's not like I never had any company here...we had PLENTY...and we ladies of the family gatherings even shared different types of tea bags with each other as gifts...




I even received some teapot tree ornaments as well as  a cute teapot salt and pepper shaker set as gifts.


But not once did we actually specifically sit down and have a "Christmas Tea Party".

So, this afternoon, before totally putting away all of the Christmas table decorations I decided to have a tea party. The only problem was...there were no ladies around to invite!  I asked my hubby if he'd like to have a cup of tea with me, but he politely declined in favor of watching football from the couch...

So, not to be deterred in my quest for a little feminine frivolity, I invited my dollies to tea!

The honored guests were Miss Ireland and Miss Denmark of Madame Alexander fame....
and the china tea set belonged to my husband's Grandmother, "Nanny Martin".  It is a "Craftsman China", Romance pattern, #379, Made in Japan. It was brought home from Japan directly by my husband's Uncle, who was serving as a Commander in the Navy, back in the 50's.

The tea of choice for today was not the proverbial "Cup of Christmas Tea" (Twinings), which is a delightful mixture of cinnamon and spices just right for any occasion...but no, my choice today was the favorite tea of my paternal Grandma Elva Hill Mursch: Bigelow's "Constant Comment".  I had actually given myself a gift of a new box of this spiced orange black tea as Christmas gift for the tea cabinet.  The description on the carton is quite interesting...

"In 1945, inspired by an Early Colonial recipe, Ruth Campbell Bigelow disappeared into her New York brownstone kitchen to create a better cup of tea.  After weeks of trial and error, blending black tea with orange rind and sweet spices, she emerged with the first cup of specialty tea.  Ruth gave  out her blend to friends who later told her the tea 'was a source of constant comment.'  Her tea earned a name and the Bigelow Tea Company was born."

And since the tea of the day was my Grandmother's favorite, it was appropriate that my other sweet dolly, "Baby Elva", the namesake of my Grandmother, should also be a guest:

There she is, sitting in her little carriage beside her own personal Christmas tree...which I am loathe to remove as I enjoy it so much...

While sipping my cup of "Constant Comment" tea, I chatted on the phone with a good friend, so it was almost as good as having a real tea party with real friends right here.

One of my "resolutions" for the new year is to plan several real tea parties for friends and loved ones...Oh, and the dollies too.  They seemed to enjoy stepping out of the cabinet for an afternoon and would probably appreciate doing so more often!

Well, friends, that about sums up my "After Christmas Tea" party! I do hope you enjoyed this little visit...and it would be my greatest pleasure if you would honor me with your presence again in the near future...maybe even in person next time!

Until then,

"Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love,

in honor giving preference to one another;

not lagging in diligence,

fervent in spirit,

serving the Lord;

rejoicing in hope,

patient in tribulation,

continuing steadfastly in prayer;

distributing to the needs of the saints,

given to hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

Rejoice with those who rejoice,

and weep with those who weep.

Be of the same mind toward one another.

Do not set your mind on high things,

but associate with the humble.

Do not be wise in your own opinion."

Romans 12:10-16

Some great words of wisdom to ponder as we complete our visit. Hope to see you again soon!