Lately, my granddaughter loves tea parties. She came into the kitchen one Sunday morning and looked at me with her big brown eyes and said, "Gigi let's have a tea party." I had barely had a cup of coffee mind you and was still in my pj's. I tried my best to put her off a couple of hours, told her we would have one after lunch. There was no having it, she kept asking, as toddlers do, to have it right now.
It was close to her birthday, and I had bought her a fancy tea party hat and glove set. I also bought her a porcelain tea set and a fun book on how to host a tea party. I thought, why wait until her birthday? I have a habit of giving gifts early, you see. So out came the goodies, and she jumped up and down with glee.
So I snapped to it, I put on a dress, hat, gloves, high heels, fur stole, and jewelry. My granddaughter did the same, although she had a hard time deciding between my 3 inch high boots or the bedazzled blue pumps. The pumps won out.
We put on a table cloth, set the table with the porcelain tea set. We poured apple juice into the teapot and put tiny marshmallows on toothpicks; it was quite fancy. Afterward, for fun, we made placemats with colored paper and loaded them with gem stickers.
One of the side benefits of hosting a tea party with grandchildren, it opens the door to teach children manners in a fun way. Please and thank you are prerequisites for tea parties, along with using a napkin. It also encourages children to stay in their chair until everyone finishes. These are little things, but as they say, manners go a long way.
Tea parties are a fun way to spend an hour or so with the grandkids. You don't have to buy new things. You can have a box of old jewelry, hats, and dresses on hand for them to rummage through. Crafts are always fun, especially as they grow older. Construction paper and glue are staples for making flowers, placemats, and party hats. The best part, you are making heartfelt memories that last a lifetime.
As Peter Pan once said, "Would you like an adventure now, or shall we have tea first."
Gigi Lori