The Ladies' Christmas Tea [at Orchard Ridge Church of the Nazarene] has come and gone. It was held last Saturday, December 6th, and was the largest one we've had in our new building, with 89 ladies reserving a spot. A great time was had by all.
For this tea I opted to give ladies an opportunity to set and hostess a table. We had 11 tables. Our ladies were shy about volunteering, so two ladies set two tables and I set three, but now that they've seen how it's done and how creatively rewarding it is, I'm hoping the response will be better the next time we do it.
The hostesses gathered last Thursday from 5:00 - 9:00 p.m. to set their tables and get them ready for Saturday's noon arrival time. Some of the hubby's even helped set-up
~ Overview of the Room ~
Our seating chart and ballot box.
~ Photos of each tablescape ~
The hostess who set the first table pictured below was so happy to be able to use her grandmother's silver cutlery. It was the first time she had ever participated in setting/hostessing a table and she did a beautiful job.
The hostess below set two tables.
~ Second table ~
This table was set by a sweet young gal from England - hence the Christmas Crackers at each place setting. It was her first time to set/hostess a table also.
The hostess below set two tables and the first one pictured won first place. She received a gift card to Hobby Lobby.
~ Second table ~
Below are my three tables. The first one had a blue and silver icy, wintry theme, and I used my Petals Depression Glass by Federal Glass. The table was voted 2nd Place. In reality, all the tables were winners.
The second table was a Nutcracker Theme with Gracie Fine China dishes purchased this year. I made the centerpiece.
The third table was Farm House Christmas Truck and I succumbed to purchasing the dishes I blogged about previously.
The meal was catered by Pamela's Catering and we served Harney & Son's Hot Cinnamon Spice Tea [regular and decaf].
~ Blueberry Scones ~
~ Savories ~
~ Desserts ~
A few pictures of the attendees...
~ Three Generations ~
My girlfriend, Sandy
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~ Mother & Daughters ~
I read Tom Hegg's book, A Cup of Christmas Tea and told the story of how he came to write it, and then we were dismissed.
This is my girlfriend, Lori, with her new great-granddaughter, Parker. It was her first tea party, and she slept through it all.
I hope you enjoyed a recap of the tea. The boxes and tea totes are patiently waiting for me in the garage ready to be unpacked, dishware washed and everything put away. I haven't had a chance to tackle them yet. All the floor length tablecloths had to be washed and returned to church today for a senior Christmas event this Saturday.
160 packets of tea also had to be assembled and placed in red mesh bags to take to work tomorrow for The Whitney Christmas tea this Saturday. The ornament picture frames will also go in the mesh bags.
Tis the season for being busy!
