It's Teatime!

Thursday, May 26, 2011
Alexis, over at North on Harper, wants to bring back the tea party. And this morning, as I stumbled out into the kitchen to put on the kettle for my morning cup of English Breakfast tea, I decided she was right. What this world really needs right now  is more tea parties. 

I've always loved a good tea party. Back in the day, my brother and I used to fill up my miniature Peter Rabbit teapot with water and host tea parties between us and our stuffed animals on our bedroom floor. If we were really lucky we got a couple brownies or cookies from Mom to serve as a teatime nibbles. My family often made real, live tea in the evening (usually herbal) as a way to relax and unwind after an eventful day.

As I grew up, I became well-steeped in English literature and my fascination with all things English, especially the tea party, only grew.

In college, several friends and I made tea parties a semi-tradition. The events always involved way too much sugar and usually ended with a sort of tea party hangover. (No, we weren't drinking sweet tea . . .)

To be honest, a good tea party, in my book at least, should end with an upset stomach and insomnia: it's a natural side effect of one too many scones all washed down with caffeinated tea.
While in London, I even got to have a grown-up tea party at the Ritz. We felt pretty fancy.
And really, when's the last time you got all gussied up to drink a cup of coffee? Tea speaks of elegance and tradition; it's fun and stately at the same time.

While I love a good cup of Starbucks when I can get it, the vast majority of my mornings kick off with a cup of tea. To me, a cup of tea means everything is going to be all right. 

Who's with me on the tea party thing? I'm tired of drinking my daily tea at laptop, staring at the screen through sleep-deprived eyes as I hammer out the morning blog post. What I need right now is an excuse for romance and charm. So let's put on party dresses, decorate the back garden with paper lanterns, and pull out our best china. Remember, pinkies up! 

9 comments:

  1. I love tea! I don't have any particular favorite tea but I really enjoy a cup or two tea... with no sugar. I like to taste a real tea.. ^__^

    perhaps I should have my own tea party with my closest friends.. ^^___^^

    what your favorite tea? ^__^

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  2. I LOVE tea! I try (when I've got my act together and am super organized) to have "tea" every day at 4... It happens so seldom, (true test to my caught up character) but i love it, when it does.

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  3. I love tea parties. A few years ago we went on a cruise and my mother and I dressed up and went to "high tea" one afternoon. It was so fancy and fun, and we both felt so special!

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  4. I would LOVE to have a tea party with you! That would be fantastic :D

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  5. Tea for two, or three or four! I had the giddy pleasure of attending a "High Tea' party put on as a bridal shower for a good friend. Oh what fun! We all wore our finest hats and lacy what-evers and gorged on tea, scones, clotted cream (?) and lemon curd (?) and dainty little finger sandwiches. It was so much fun and I say, let's do it again! (?= never heard of it until that day, but all yummy nummy)

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  6. Why am I just seeing this!?!?!?!? DARN WORK!!!!


    VIVA LA TEA!!!!!!!!!!!

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  7. I am a tea spaz. We went to a holiday tea at the St. Paul Hotel last year, and it was so fun! It was like 5 courses, many of which were desserts! I had a ridiculous amount of chamomile tea.

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  8. Tea and tea again. Your post reminded me how I came to be in London and became a tea person. Will re - post. Tea party ;-))) Anytime... as long as we both speak of the same tea party LOL

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  9. I love tea parties! A blog friend just threw a vintage tea party as a birthday party for her Grandmother and I thought it was a great idea. There's a great tea place in San Francisco called Lovejoys, they serve tea and crumpets, mini sandwiches without the crust and everything is served in mismatched china. Oh and if you ever want a delicious tea to try:
    Honey Vanilla Chamomile is quite amazing!

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