A Special Christmas Tea Party with a Scumptious Tea Party Menu

Welcome to the 570th Metamorphosis Monday!

Happy New Year (almost) to you! I had planned to share a lamp switcheroo today but things have been so busy with the holidays, the kids out of school and weekend activities, I never got a chance to take photos in their room. I will do that soon and share how the new lamp looks with their holiday bedding.

Christmas Bedroom Makeover for Children

 

The new lamp turned out to be not that much bigger than the one I had previously purchased to go with their Christmas bedding, but it is cute in a snowball-looking kinda way. Will share how it looks sometime very soon.

 

I love it when I hear from BNOTP readers, especially when you share your beautiful photos! Recently, Selma emailed to say:

I’ve always meant to share some of my tea photos with you. I hosted a small tea this past weekend, and took some photos of the table. They were taken with my phone, so not the best quality, but I thought you would get a kick out of them. I even included a photo of the food on my plate as an afterthought! Merry Christmas, Susan!

I love the idea of hosting a Christmas Tea so thought it would be fun to share this special Christmas Tea for Metamorphosis Monday since it’s not every day we decorate or prepare for such a lovely event.

Host a Christmas Tea Party

 

Selma said, “For our tea, I served a blend developed by a woman who worked as a Master Blender for Harney and Sons. Her name is Cynthia and the name of her tea is, Ragamuffin. The tea is absolutely divine, and Cynthia came up with it to appeal to people who didn’t really like tea! I like mine with sugar and just a dash of half and half, but it’s great on its own.”

Describing the table she set for her Christmas tea, Selma said, “The tablecloth is the ”Snowfall Jacquard” pattern, from William Sonoma this year and the felt snowflake placemats were from Pier 1 last winter.

A Christmas Tea Party

 

“The china is Johnson Brothers Old Britain Castle. There are several Old Britain Castle patterns, this is one of the Christmas versions. The flatware is an antique dessert set that I found many years ago. The teaspoons are Gorham ”Buttercup” and the teacups and saucers were a combination of Villeroy and Boch patterns and an ancient Wedgewood set. I love mixing and matching teacups and saucers!”

Setting the Table for a Christmas Tea party

 

“The napkins were from Pottery Barn maybe 10 years ago? I wish they would bring them back—I’ve used them more than any other napkins for Christmas Tables. The flutes are very basic, I think I found several boxes of them at Home Goods.

Oh, the napkin rings were new this year, too…those came from Bed, Bath and Beyond. For the flowers, I used an old compote dish with the ”Daisy and Button” pattern, and set it on an antique plateau.”

Christmas Tea, 2019

 

“As far as food, I fixed pear, orange, and pecan scones, the recipe for which can be found in the December 2019 issue of Teatime magazine. With the scones, I served clotted cream and apricot ginger preserves.”

What to Serve for a Christmas Tea

 

“I also fixed open face cucumber sandwiches with chive cream cheese cut in the shape of Christmas trees, salmon egg salad, open-face roast pork tenderloin with cranberry sauce on cranberry walnut bread, bacon, lettuce, tomato and avocado “boats” using the lettuce as the boat.

For sweets, I fixed lace cookies and purchased some decorated sugar cookies from a local bakery, because time just ran out.”

Wow! What a beautiful and delicious array of choices!

What to Serve for a Christmas Tea

 

I love how Selma decorated her chandelier for her Christmas tea party! So pretty!

Hanging ornaments from Chandelier

 

Selma, thanks so much for sharing photos of this special tea along with all your beautiful Christmas-holiday decorations! The china and flatware are stunning! Loved seeing every little detail including the wonderful delicacies you created for this special occasion! What a treat it would have been to attend such a lovely event during the holiday season!

Host a Christmas Tea Party

 

Looking forward to all the wonderful Before and Afters linked for this week’s Met Monday!

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Comments

  1. Selma’s table is BEAUTIFUL…..oh my to go to so much work for friends at such a busy time of year is truly a gift to them! I loved all the details of her snowflake theme, to the ornaments off the chandelier to the hem of the table cloth, placemats, napkin rings. All so lovely and tasteful! The food looked and sounded amazing as well! Can I be her friend?

  2. Happy New Year, and thanks for hosting MM and BNOTP all year long!

  3. Thanks for sharing Selma’s lovely table and tea party – what a sweet thing to do for her friends! I love her china, and the tea blend sounds yummy too!

    It sounds like so much fun with your family! Happy New Year to you Susan, and thanks again for hosting such a wonderful link party! ❤

  4. Thanks for sharing Selma’s beautiful table and menu Susan! I love to see different decorating styles and menu ideas…those cucumber radish Christmas trees are so cute! I hope you had a Merry Christmas and here we are on the brink of 2020!

  5. Kathy Parathyras says

    Hi Susan, This comment is for Selma. Selma, I love your table and the food you served looked delicious. Can you tell me where you got your clotted cream? I have searched high and low for clotted cream and cannot find it in any store in my area (New York City). Thanks,

    Kathy

    • Selma Kessler says

      This message is for Kathly regarding the question about clotted cream; I live in Omaha, NE and Whole Foods carries it.

      • Kathy A Parathyras says

        Thank you, Selma. I did try my local Whole Foods and they didn’t carry it, but there are other larger Whole Foods stores in the area so I will try them. Thanks again.

  6. Wish we had a really good Tea Room in Atlanta. The Swan House is ok for lunch but nothing special.

    • Selma, what a great idea to have a tea at Christmas time. It looks beautiful and fun too. The menu sounds so delicious, I might’ve started forming a line at the front door–even if only for takeout

    • There’s a wonderful tearoom in Woodstock, GA, just a little drive up I-575, called Tea Leaves and Thyme. Also, check destinationtea.com for a listing of other tearooms in the Atlanta area (they are listed by state) and reviews of many of them.

  7. Selma’s party looked very special (but hey, you left the picture of those cookies out, but doubled her plate photo!). I love those decorations on the chandelier. Hmmm…..I have all my Christmas already packed away, but those ornaments with those scroll hooks are really nice…..

    Happy New Year, Susan, and safe travels on your way home.

    • lol I didn’t leave them out, Selma didn’t send that photo over. I love me some cookies so I def wouldn’t leave them out. 🙂
      Happy New Year to you, Rita!
      XXX

  8. HAPpy NEW YEAR

    Can not wait to see more of your designs for 2020

    Sandy
    West Chester Ohio

  9. Cyndi Raines says

    What a lovely tea party, so beautiful and the food sounds scrumptious! Wish I knew where we could order some of that tea as well. I also like the individual sprigs of evergreen tied in green material ball holders, like small centerpieces. I wonder where she purchased those or if she made them? Thanks for sharing. Happy (almost) New Year to you Susan! Looking forward to another great year with you!

  10. Hi Susan,
    Selma’s table is beautiful and welcoming — it would be a delight to take tea with her. I have a question for you. At holidays and family celebrations, I entertain family and friends ranging in age from 1 to 90+, and although I need a long tablecloth, I find that a 70″ width is far too wide, giving me a drop that is hard navigate, especially for the youngest and oldest. I have had trouble finding a short width in a long tablecloth. Any suggestions?

    • Umm, Brenda try Googling for “narrow tablecloths” and hopefully something will pop up.I hope someone makes them for tables like yours. Let me know if you find anything when you try that…I hope it works!

      • @Susan: Hope you don’t mind me jumping in re a suggestion for Brenda. There are ‘sewing notions’ on the market that will ‘permanently’ hem fabrics by just using an iron so if she were to choose a tablecloth without a border she can accommodate her need very easily by measuring, cutting and bonding to create a new hem/drop. (It is double sided and web like, often comes in a package (rolled strips), choice of various pre-cut widths and sold in the majority of fabric stores.)
        -Brenda-
        P.S.: Once her table is set, there will be few noticing if one side of the table cloth does not have a standard finished hem … ☺.

        • Thanks, Mrs. Ben, I have a beautiful autumn tablecloth with a 70″ drop, so I am going to give your suggestion a try!

          • @Brenda: You are welcome. Will add to give you more an idea of what I am referring to — web search JOANN FABRICS / Fusible Bonding Web. As said it does come in various widths (as small as l/4″) and different brands however JoAnn’s does have one listed by: Dritz – Stitch Witchery 5/8″ wide/20 yards in length for the price of $4.89 which is more than reasonable in pricing. Just ensure you get the ‘permanent’ type regardless of the brand. Good luck! -Brenda-

      • Thanks for the suggestion, Susan. I am finding some nice looking ones!

    • I have several odd tables and have found fabric and sheets to make tablecloths from. Some times I would use two table cloths with a runner to cover the overlap. When the table is set you can’t see the over lap

  11. What a beautiful tea table and tea menu! Thank you to Selma for sharing it with you, and thank you for sharing it with us. Happy New Year!

  12. Thanks so much for hosting !!
    Happy New Year!!
    Hugs,
    Debbie

  13. Love the photos. What a beautiful table setting. I love the snowflake mats and colorful trees on the buffet. The presents for guests was a nice touch. The food looks delicious too.

  14. Gorgeous table and deliciously creative ‘n nostalgic menu! Absolutely l-o-v-i-l-e-e Selma and thank you for sharing. -Brenda-

  15. Lovely…pinkey swear!! franki

  16. Beautiful table! This makes me want to host a tea party. Love all the elements. I’d feel so special being invited to such a lovely setting. Thanks for sharing.

    One thing though, I hope Selma sees this because I looked for the Ragamuffin tea and couldn’t find it. If she can tell us where to buy it, I’d love to try it. I like the idea of a tea blended for people who don’t like tea. I looked at the Harney and Sons site, as well as Amazon but couldn’t find it at either.

    • Selma Kessler says

      Hello Pam. You can order the Ragamuffin Tea directly from Cynthia Fore. I sent Susan her direct email, so she can share it with you (if she hasen’t already). Cynthia owns the rights to the tea blend, but she has Harney and Sons blend it for her.

      • Thanks for answering, Selma! I won’t bother Susan while she’s with the little ones, but I’ll get that from her and try it. I do like tea, but I thought a tea blended for non-tea lovers must be extra good! Haha. Thanks again and thanks too for sharing your photos. Happy New Year to you.

  17. FRANCES TROY says

    Tell Selma I love her china. My Old Britain Castle Christmas pattern is all the cranberry red with a Christmas tree in the middle. Would like to find the plates with the green on the border.

  18. Thanks for sharing the tea party.
    Happy New Year

  19. I love the Christmas colored transfer-ware you used on the table, absolutely gorgeous! I hope you have a Happy New Year and thanks for hosting!

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