My little girls LOVE tea parties. They hold pretend tea parties a few times a week. They love them so much, that they have possed with their tea set in at least two birthday photoshoots.
Since my oldest is 4.5 years old and my youngest is about to be 3 years old, I thought it would be so much fun to take them to one of those fancy holiday tea parties at the beautifully decorated hotels. I couldn’t wait to dress them in their adorable matching Christmas outfits with their knee-high socks and gold Mary-Janes. They would be the picture of perfection sipping their tea or hot chocolate, their eyes smiling with delight. However, upon further investigation, it just wasn’t in the budget this year. I was truly disappointed!! The more I thought about it, I knew I had to do something for my girls.
That is when I decided to host a holiday tea party!
Tea parties are better when your friends are there anyways. So I called up my girlfriends and told them my idea. They were all on board. Never having been to a holiday tea party, I wasn’t sure where to start. After going down a Google and Pinterest rabbit hole, these are a few things I decided we needed to have.
Setting the scene
Send out invitations:
This was important to me. My kids’ faces light up when they receive letters in the mail and I wanted to share that magic. One of my best friends made a simple invite for the party and I printed them at Walgreens on photo paper. I made sure to address the envelopes to the kids. The moms told me how excited the kids were to receive a letter in the mail.
Set the table:
I choose a white table cloth (because it is easy to get stains out) and a handed down holiday teapot and teacups. If you don’t have a delightfully tacky Christmas tea set, no worries! Use whatever you have available. My teacup set didn’t come with salad or bread plates, hence the kids ate off the saucers. I had fewer dishes to wash, so I’m calling this a mom win.
Music:
Don’t forget to create a holiday playlist beforehand. My oldest requested that I play Pentatonix’s Christmas albums because they are her favorite.
Scents:
I love to make a simmer pot with orange, cinnamon, and clove. You could also use any essential oils, holiday candles, or wax warmers you have to encourage that holiday spirit.
Dress Code:
Ask your guest to wear a dress or button-up shirt. Kids like to get dressed up as much as we do. Wearing something festive helps everyone get into the holiday spirit.
Beverages
For the kids:
Tea is an obvious answer, but my kids don’t drink caffeine yet. So I came up with a few alternatives.
- Rooibos Tea (naturally caffeine-free red tea)
- Apple Cider
- Hot chocolate
For adults:
We made mulled wine, but you could also serve coffee and tea.
Food
For the kids:
This year, our guests were between the ages of 2.5 and 4.5, therefor our food list included peanut butter and jelly sandwiches cut into the shapes of snowflakes, gingerbread girls, and boys, a fruit tray in the shape of a Christmas tree, and tea cookies (not pictured). Depending on the age of your guest you can do macarons, scones, tarts, and a variety of tea sandwiches.
For adults:
We put together this beautiful charcuterie board.
Activities
This year I decided to let the kids decorate cookies. You can also choose a holiday book to read, a coloring page, or a game to play.
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This was such a fun get together that we plan to make it to our holiday traditions. I look forward to this special occasion growing and evolving as the children grow.
