How do you know if you’re too old for a tea party???
Is it like fashion? You know, like if you’re apparently too old to wear a certain style, so your teenager looks at you with that mortified glare of embarrassment?
Or is it like a rollercoaster? When you finally realize you’re too old when you’re in the middle of the ride, dizzier than you’ve ever been in your life, afraid you’ll lose your cookies, but willing yourself to not lose face in public? (Not that I speak from personal experience…*ahem*…)
I have fantastic news…it’s not like either of those!!! In my mind, no one is ever too old for tea parties!!!! But I have a different kind of definition of old age. When my paternal grandma was alive, I used to tell her she wouldn’t’ be old until after she turned 100. So, now I will say to you…you won’t be too old for a tea party until you’re at least 150!
Did you have a tea set when you were young? I did! When I was a very little girl, my mom bought me my first miniature tea set. It’s made of porcelain and has Alice in Wonderland characters on each piece. I still have it somewhere. When I was a few years older, my grandma gave me another miniature tea set, but this one is antique and has lots of pieces. I still have this one, too. I spent hours playing with my tea sets. Sometimes, I would invite the family to my tea parties. Other times, just my dolls attended. I always served real tea and snacks. I learned to drink tea way before I learned to like coffee, thank goodness!
As I got older, I enjoyed having tea with my paternal grandmother at her house. I would drive there on the rare days I didn’t have work or school. She would get out her antique teacups she had collected, we would heat some water, she would put the tea cozy on the china teapot, and we would chat about life. I now have some of her tea cups, since she doesn’t need them in Heaven.
I also developed a penchant for hosting holiday tea parties. In college, I hosted a fun mother-daughter tea party for a few of my close friends and their moms, where everyone brought their favorite family holiday decoration and a teacup. Each mother-daughter duo got to share with the group about the items they had brought. What a fun time! When we we newly married, before kids, I had several more holiday tea parties at our house, and everyone brought a special teacup to use and talk about. It was so interesting to see what everyone chose to to bring! Some people had purchased their cup at an antique store, others were family heirlooms, some brought cups from their own fine china set, and others brought one they just thought was the most beautiful. The stories and the laughter were priceless! And isn’t that the point of a get-together? To spend quality time with people we love? Hold onto that thought a moment.
Fast forward in time to when we had our own kids. Our daughter was born first, and therefore everything in our house turned pink. The blankets. The toys. The clothes. The bags, cups, books, accessories…all pink. And of course, there were tea sets!!!!!! Oh were there tea sets!!!! When she was born, my grandparents gave her a delicate porcelain tea set decorated with teddy bears (my grandma’s favorite) in a cute wicker basket…I made sure to save it safely up high in the closet so little hands wouldn’t break it. My parents gave her a cute plastic tea set from Frozen when she was a toddler. Then there was the Princess and the Frog tea party set, the fun multicolored china tea set from my husband’s parents, and the inventive Tinkerbell tea set. We had no shortage of tea sets at our house, in addition to the large set she kept at my parents’ house. So let me ask you…do you think we had a few tea parties??
We did! We had tea parties almost daily! Of course we always used real tea, and real snacks. We had tea parties just the two of us, tea parties with Grandma, tea parties with friends while they were over playing, tea parties with dolls, even tea parties with Daddy sometimes! When her little brother arrived, and grew old enough to join in the tea parties with us, he once famously declared, “I’m not here for the pink tea stuff. I’m just here for the snacks…” HA! And true to form, he would quickly slurp up the tea (at his sister’s insistence), shove the snacks in his mouth, and be gone again. But he always stopped by our tea table. However…the time spent together, no matter how long or short, was so valuable.
Fast forward again, to today. Our teenage daughter, who still has most of the tea sets from her childhood, still loves tea. And tea parties. We still go to my parents’ house (or sometimes host here) for impromptu tea parties with Grandma. Yesterday is a prime example. We were finished with school for the day, and out of nowhere, our daughter announces that she has called Grandma and we are going to her house for a tea party in a few minutes. How on Earth could I say no to that?? You’re right…I never would!! That quality time spent when the kids were young has been ingrained in them. It’s part of them now. They want to spend time with family. Having tea. Making memories. By the time I got the car keys ready, our amazing daughter had her homemade brownies, made the night before, all packed up on a cute plate. When we got there, my mom had cut up some fresh melon and poured out some mixed nuts into a bowl. Nothing fancy or over the top…just the perfect setup for a fun time together.
I encourage you to host a tea party this week…whether just for yourself, you and the kids, mother/daughter, the whole family…whoever! You’re never too old or too young. There is always time to spend that quality time. Your heart will fill with joy as your cup fills with tea. Don’t like tea? Use coffee, juice, water, milk, anything! I won’t tell. But whatever you do, have a tea party. I promise you’ll love it. Blessings to you!
Some of my favorite teas to offer at tea parties (or anytime!) are listed here for you: