Our first Christmas Tea was held in 2008. My church is a "church plant" that began in 2003, so we meet in a grade school gymnasium while we save money to build our new church facility. It was an ambitious endeavor to host the tea in a school gym rather than at a banquet facility, but we wanted everyone to see where we meet on Sunday.
Nine ladies volunteered to set 14 tablescapes [some did more than one table], which transformed the gymnasium into a lovely dining area. To begin the transformation I rented white floor length tablecloths and chair covers with sashes. The men of the church volunteered to serve the meal to the ladies.
Below is a photo of the 1st Place table - "Victorian Christmas." Tables were voted on by the ladies who attended the tea.
Runner-Up Table - "Ice Palace"
The following tables weren't 1st or 2nd place, but they were beautiful nonetheless.
"Christmas Rose"
"Snowflake Splendor"
"Winter Greetings"
"A Touch of Gold"
"Blue Elegance"
"Friends of the Heart"
"Prayer Bears"
"Snow Birds"
"Memories"
We served a grilled chicken salad for the tea, accompanied by a black flavored tea.
Dessert was a cupcake served in a Christmas teacup that was a favor to take home.
A local dance studio and high school vocal ensemble provided our entertainment.
We had three fundraisers at the tea which were very successful for our building fund, but they were an incredible amount of work. Since then we only focus on one fundraiser.
Bake Sale
Grab Bags
Silent Auction
We had a big snow storm the morning of the tea, which gave me quite a scare, but by 2:00 p.m. everyone showed up, and our first Christmas Tea was a big success.
I hope this post has provided ideas for a Christmas tea at your church or organization.
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Today I'm linking to Bernideen's Tea Time blog for "Friends Sharing Tea"
What fun! The tables all look so festive, and the food looks delicious. I'm sure everyone had an enjoyable afternoon. Great idea to have a fundraiser and local talent :)
ReplyDeleteShawn
Oh, those tables are all so gorgeous! I love the idea of having different people decorate tables, so you get to see LOTS of pretty china and glassware. I know it is a lot of work, but what beautiful results, and for a good cause, too! Thanks for sharing these.
ReplyDeleteI went back and enlarged all the pictures so I could really enjoy them - your snowflake goblets caught my eye the first time through and again the second time! And I really like the layering of colored linens atop the elegant white tablecloths on several of the tables. Lots of inspiration in this post, I have saved it in my Pinterest "table settings" board so I can refer to it in the future!
ReplyDeleteWhat gorgeous tables, all! I keep hoping *someone* will do a book of all these great tabletop ideas for church Christmas teas. Surprised it hasn't been done yet! (That I know of, anyway ...)
ReplyDeleteMy sisters church has a Christmans tea every year which I attend. I'm always a little disapointed in the table decorating. They were nothing like yours! Yours are so very beautiful and you can tell thoughtfully planned.
ReplyDeleteNancy
What a fun post. And what clever ladies. I enlarged all the pictures to get a better look too. What great ideas. Victorian was my favorite too. Everything pops on the red color. I loved Memories with the old sewing machine.
ReplyDeleteRuthie from: http://www.ladybstimefortea.blogspot.com
Are you close to raising all of the needed money yet?
So glad it went well. The snow storm must have put everyone in the mood for tea time and festivities. Beautiful as usual!
ReplyDelete