The Journey Continues… Christmas Teas
My daughter Elizabeth, my granddaughter Lauren and I are starting to plan for our 9th annual Christmas Tea. I love doing this as it allows me to spend time with Elizabeth and Lauren. Now for some history and stories.
In December 2011 we started what would become our yearly Christmas Tea. At that time, we also decided to not do any other seasonal teas as it just was too much work and scheduling was hard. Even in sunny Southern California, our weather is unpredictable in December, so we had to have the tea inside my house. Two seating times were a must. Our Christmas teas now average 100 guests, divided between two weekend days. Invitations go out via email and our Christmas Teas are quickly booked up. Below is the invitation for our first Christmas Tea in 2011.
Stop for a moment and celebrate the season at Donna’s Place
Presenting Christmas Tea at Donna’s
Saturday, December 10, 2011
11:00 a.m. & 2:00 p.m. Seatings
$25 per person
Our holiday menu of soup, scone, tea sandwiches, dessert, and Christmas tea embraces the flavors of the season. Presented and prepared by mother and daughter team of Donna & Elizabeth.
Nothing compares with sharing tea and good food with a friend or group of friends!
When we started the Christmas Teas, Elizabeth and I knew this was a big undertaking. Plus, we had a following and wanted to make sure they continued to come back! The planning process began in earnest in October. Of course, I had to buy more Christmas plates and teacups! Elizabeth, in an effort to please our repeat guests, wanted to do a completely new menu the next year. No pumpkin cheesecake on that menu!
What I soon learned was that not only did I have to have a gorgeous tea table and tea plates, I had to have a gorgeously decorated house. After all, it was Christmas time. Although this is a lot of stress each year, as I believe I have to add new elements to my decorating, this has also been very fun. Not only does the inside of the house have to be decorated but the front porch and back patio have to be decked out. We move out almost all of the furniture from the living room as we use this as a second seating area. My husband has been a champion about all of this as he is the furniture mover. I love having people in our home and want their experience to be something they want to repeat. Of course, I’m trying to replicate the “tea room” feeling and look when we do these Christmas teas. As a side note, since my house is beautifully decorated for this tea, I want to have more visitors and parties throughout the month which makes for a jam-packed December!
