A Home Tea
A Home Tea
A stained tablecloth. Very stained napkins. Mismatched china. Wilted flowers. Pillows on the floor for seats. These are the practical items that composed our Seurat tea. As we know, however, the quality of our tea service does not determine the quality of our time together. We always have great fun, and I’d like to encourage you to take tea with your siblings too! Don’t wait for bone china and crumpets. Arrange whatever you have as tastefully as possible. Then sit down to enjoy tea and fellowship.
Location
For us teatime usually occurs in the middle of a busy weekday; most of the tables and countertops are overspread with schoolwork and dinner preparations. What we need is an uncluttered and restful atmosphere, so we beat a retreat to the girl’s room.
Equipage
✦Our “tea table” is my bed, overspread with a beautiful but stained cloth. Because it is already stained, I am not paranoid about the little ones spilling their tea. There is no disruption of the party with the hostess snatching the tablecloth away to apply stain cleansers. Of course, I encourage care; I’m not keen on sleeping with wet sheets!
✦Similarly, one is not afraid to use the cloth napkins, stained as they are.
✦We are blessed to have a mother who collects tea cups and allows us to use them whenever we like. We also have four tea pots from which to choose. However, tea tastes just as well in a coffee mug, and if you don’t have a teapot you can brew individual cups. We use regular teaspoons to stir our sugar, which is kept in an old sugar bowl missing its top.
✦We enjoy picking ferns to decorate the “table.” If we have no fresh greenery available, we might decorate with a scattering of dried rose petals... or buttons. The buttons are especially fun. While we sip tea and converse, we play with and arrange the buttons. Afterwards we might challenge each other to guess the identity of our button constellations!
✦Playing soothing music does wonders to create a peaceful atmosphere. Our official tea party music is String Quartet Tribute to Josh Groban played from my iPod. There are ardent objections if I try to play anything else.
The Menu
Of course, we have tea. If two are three will be joining we brew individual cups; but if we are all able to come we brew two big teapots—and yes, we do drink all of it!
Sometimes we serve a special treat alongside, such as cinnamon buns or zucchini bread, but more often than not we are content with squares of plain homemade bread. If they are overspread with jelly then we fondly refer to them as tarts.
“Please pass the strawberry tarts, my dear.”
These we arrange on old tarnished silver platters, graciously covered with paper doilies.
Etiquette
There are a few rules which are to be observed at tea parties. No arguing, rudeness, or loud voices are allowed. Also, dipping your bread in your tea is looked upon with disfavor. They do it anyway!
Special clothing is not required. The refrain is “Just as you are,” though the girls have been known to send the boys out to wash their feet.
If everyone is quietly sipping, I try to encourage pleasant conversation. The usual question is “What have you done today and what do you plan to do afterwards?” It’s a nice opportunity to take stock of the morning’s accomplishments, and lay out our plans for the afternoon. At our Seurat tea, I was proud to note that Second Brother took the initiative. Looking gravely over his tea cup he queried (with a British accent), “Well, Samy, what do you plan to do after the tea party?” He then proceeded to ask everyone about their plans. It’s always nice to have someone interested in your day.
Diversions
We will often conclude a tea party with a fun activity. Playing with the button jar is a perennial favorite. We might piece puzzles, do a Bible study, or I might read a story or poetry aloud. Sometimes we don’t have time for anything but tea. But even that is alright, because the opportunity to “sit down quietly” was refreshment itself.
Friday, January 8, 2010