2022 Whitney Christmas Tea

I'm a bit weary tonight, but I promised some pictures of today's tea so I'll post them before getting comfy to watch a Christmas movie [and most likely falling asleep before it ends!]. 

We were anticipating 200 guests, but by my count there were 177.  The count may have been slightly higher because it was so busy and difficult to be certain everyone was counted.

I have a picture of the Scone Course, Strawberries and Chantilly Cream, and Savory Course, but nobody photographed the Dessert course.  All courses were plated today instead of using tiered servers.  I'm a stickler for detail and accuracy and had I taken this picture I would have made sure the cup handle was on the outside!

When the guests finished their savories, they were seated in the ballroom where I read Tom Hegg's A Cup of Christmas Tea on the second floor, and Dave Duey, Director of Operations Emeritus, read it on the first floor.  If you look closely, that's Mr. Whitney's portrait hanging above the fireplace. I'm sure he'd be happy to see so many people visiting and enjoying his beautiful mansion.

~ Dave and Me ~

When the story was over [which took about 7 minutes] the guests went back to their individual dining rooms for dessert.  A very good trio of vocalists strolled the first and second floors singing Christmas Carols throughout the first and second seating [11:00 a.m and 1:30 p.m.].

One of the servers wanted me to pose for this photo by the second floor ballroom fireplace.

I will be off work the next two Saturdays [Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve], so I wished the staff a Merry Christmas before I left for home and told them I'd see them next year [Good Lord willing].

Big Sigh of Relief

At the end of November, I was given the responsibility for the gift and favor our guests would receive at the Whitney's Christmas Tea this Saturday, Dec. 17th.  The easy part was ordering 10 cases of teacups to be used at the Christmas Tea and then given to the guests to take home afterwards. 

The harder, and more time consuming part, was making 200 favors to go with the teacups.  During December we've been serving a black spice tea blend called Mistletoe Kiss.  It's flavored with Star Anise, Vanilla Bean, Cloves, Ginger, Calendula, Sunflower, Chamomile and dried Apple pieces.  It's very popular, so I thought a package of the loose-leaf tea to go with their teacup would be nice - not realizing how long it takes to measure out 200 packages of tea! 

I placed the package of tea in a gold, organza drawstring bag along with some gold shred and a couple of pieces of Hershey's Nuggets wrapped in gold foil, and embelished the tie with a glittery gold leaf sprig.  I made a sample and showed it to my boss, and he said it was a go.

I bought all the supplies immediately, but couldn't really start working on it until after I completed the cookie swap I was coordinating at church [including baking my four dozen cookies]. The project has kept me occupied, but the task was finished and delivered to The Whitney this afternoon with a huge sigh of relief.  

I know the tea Saturday will be very busy, but I'll try to take some photos to share. 

I'm always pleasantly surprised when I see someone I know at tea time.  The restaurant was bustling with 157 guests last Saturday on both the first and second floors. While refilling a teapot at one of the tables, I discovered it was a maternal first cousin and three of her nieces.  I hadn't seen them since my aunt passed away 19 years ago!  It was a mini-reunion.

My hubby and I managed to get our lighted tea houses up amidst the Christmas favor project. My job is always to unpack and test the houses, and hand them to him on the ladder.  We took pictures a couple of years ago so I'd know the order in which they should be handed to him, so that makes the job a little easier and faster.

The Christmas tree is up and waiting for me to put the finishing touches on Sunday afternoon. The clock is ticking faster than I'd like, but I'm pacing myself so I don't become stressed and miss the joy of The Reason for the season!

Church Cookie Swap

I remember my mom going to holiday cookie swaps when I was living at home, but I never attended one myself until last Friday night.  My son asked me to consider coordinating one for the women of our church, so I agreed to do it.

There was just nine of us in attendance.  Four were sick and couldn't come - lots of colds and flu going around right now, but we decided there's more intimacy in a smaller group and a better opportunity to get to know each other - not that we aren't hoping for more ladies to join us next year.

The cookies I made were Kolache or Raspberry Bow Tie cookies.  It was my first time to make them, and even though they turned out okay and tasted good, I don't think I'll make them again - they're too putsy.  Each lady was asked to bring 4 dozen cookies and they got to take 8 cookies home from each of the other ladies' cookies.  

~ My cookies ~

The grand array of cookies [and calories] pictured below.  My favorite was oatmeal scotchies. 1st place prize [a Christmas centerpiece] went to my daughter-in-law who made decorated sugar cookies.  They were beautiful.

The swap began at 6:30, and after we arranged all the cookies on the table, I served hot spiced cider and pizza.

The munchies were a 'Christmas Blessing Mix' that I found online.  It's similar to trail mix, but I opted not to mix everything together and use each one individually for the devotional.  I used my 'lazy Susan' that I got for my bridal shower - first time it's been used in years.

Bugles [far left] represented the joyful message from the Heavenly Host, as they announced Christ's birth.  I couldn't find any scriptural reference to them playing trumpets at Christ's birth, but the trumpet will sound at His second coming.

Pretzels [far right] represented Mary's loving arms as she wrapped her Son in swaddling clothes.  With a little research I learned that pretzels date back to 610 AD when a monk living in a monastery in Northern Italy baked them as a reward to his students for learning their prayers.  The three twists resemble crossed arms, which was the traditional prayer pose at that time, and the three-holed pretzel represented the Trinity.

The center bowl in the lazy Susan was red hot candies - symbolizing Christ's redemption and eternal life.  Holly berries are red representing the blood that Jesus shed on the cross, and because the holly plant is so hearty and endures the harshest conditions, it represents eternal life.  

Pumpkin seeds represented the promise of a future harvest.  A man reaps what he sows, and if we don't become weary in doing good, we will reap a harvest.

M & M's symbolized those who came before us to guide us to a blessed future.  Jesus is our greatest guide and teacher.

Hershey's Kisses represented the love of family and friends that sweetens our lives.  On a deeper level, God has adopted us into His family and Jesus calls us His friend.

Candy Canes represent the shepherd's crook used to bring lost lambs back to the fold.  Jesus is our Good Shepherd.    

I had a photo board where I asked each lady to bring a Christmas picture of themselves from their childhood or adulthood.  That's my childhood Christmas picture with my brother and sister.  The board got filled in with other pictures as the ladies began to arrive.

It's the memories that make Christmas meaningful and magical, so I asked each lady to share their most memorable Christmas memory.  Everyone participated and it was wonderful hearing their memories and stories.

Have you gone to a Christmas cookie swap this year?

Christmas Tea at Edsel & Eleanor Ford House

Last Thursday, Dec. 8th, I went to a Christmas Tea at the Edsel & Eleanor Ford House in Grosse Pointe, MI.  I met, Kristin, one of the servers at The Whitney, on the second floor foyer before our 12:30 seating in the Lake Shore Room.  I arrived first, so I took the pic below looking down on the first floor foyer.

While waiting for Kristin, I viewed the Ford Family photo gallery on the second floor.

I couldn't resist taking a photo of Eleanor Ford on her 75th birthday with her four children, since that's my current age.  She was a widow for 33 years and never remarried after Edsel died at the age of 49.

While waiting for our reservation, we met Santa and had our picture taken with him.

Lakeshore Dining Room was bustling with attendees.  The empty seats were for the 12:30 guests.

The 'tea lady' came to our table so we could make our tea selection.

We chose Earl Grey by Bigelow.

~ Kristin ~

~ Moi ~

The tiered server.  Top tier: Chocolate Chip Scones with Blackberry Preserves and Chantilly Cream.  Middle tier desserts:  Macarons, Pecan Diamonds, Peppermint Bark, and White Chocolate Truffle.  Bottom tier tea sandwiches and canapes:  mini cone with Mascarpone and Smoked Salmon; Pomegranate and Brie Phyllo bite; Beef Wellington; Roast Squash with Pesto, Onion Jam and Arugula on Wholegrain Bread; Honey Roast Ham with Fig Jam and Goat Cheese on White Bread, and Classic Egg Salad and Watercress on Brioche.  It was all delicious.

After the tea we boarded a shuttle that took us the short distance to the mansion for a self-guided tour.  It was decorated beautifully for Christmas with a Christmas tree in almost every room, beginning with the foyer.

I've toured the mansion many times but never knew they had a pipe organ until Thursday when a door in Drawing Room was open.

The cloister on the way to the Gallery [the largest room in the house, used for balls and parties].

The Library was set up with cookies and tea [even though Eleanor wasn't a tea drinker] and cookies and milk for Santa.

The beautiful Dining Room.

A maid's uniform on display in the butler's pantry.

Statue of Edsel & Eleanor outside the mansion.

It was a very enjoyable afternoon of tea and touring!

Gordon Hall in Dexter, MI

A few weeks ago I received an e-mail from 'Holiday Teas in Michigan' and it listed a tea at Gordon Hall in Dexter, MI.  Dexter is a neighboring community of Chelsea where my youngest son and family live.  My daughter-in-law and two granddaughters aren't tea drinkers, preferring Starbucks and Tim Horton coffee, but it sounded like a fun outing so I thought I'd run it by Samantha to see if they'd have an interest.  To my delight, they said they'd love to go, so I called and made reservations for four.

The tea was this past Sunday and our reservations were for the 4:00 p.m. seating.  The tea was hosted by the Dexter Historical Society and was a fundraiser for restoring the interior of Gordon Hall.  The cost was only $30 per person, so I wasn't expecting a 5-star tea.

Samantha said she passed Gordon Hall many times but had never been inside.  Being the history lover that I am, I read up on it before going.  Here's what I found in a nutshell:  Judge Samuel W. Dexter [founder of Dexter, MI] and his third wife, Millisent, [his first two wives died] and their children moved into Gordon Hall [named in honor of Dexter's mother whose maiden surname was Gordon] in 1844.

As prominent citizens, it's documented that the Dexters entertained two U.S. Presidents, James K. Polk and James Buchanan, and probably Millard Fillmore, since his brother, Calvin, designed Gordon Hall and was also a resident of Dexter.

When Judge Dexter died in 1863 his wife and eight children continued to live in the house, until Millisent's death in 1899.  The house was sold to two different non-family owners as several years lapsed, and didn't return to the hands of a family member until 1939 when Samuel Dexter's granddaughter, Katherine Dexter McCormick, purchased it.  In 1950 she gave the property to the University of Michigan who gutted the interior and made four apartments for faculty members.  In 2006 the Dexter Area Historical Society and Museum purchased the property. It's their intent to restore the interior to its original grandeur to be used as a wedding and special events venue. 

[Me, Samantha, Ellie & Izzy]

~ Sleigh on front porch ~

The tea was a simple one with cucumber and egg salad finger sandwiches on white bread, and chicken salad on wheat bread.  An assortment of four different cookies were desserts.  No scones and the tea was an unflavored black tea with milk, sugar and lemon pieces as enhancements.

[Ellie]

[Izzy]

After our tea meal, a docent talked about the life of Millisent Dexter and another young lady impersonated Katherine Dexter McCormick [1875-1967]. Both women had impressive accomplishments.

We toured the mansion where a room was set up as Judge Dexter's bedroom and also an 1840's kitchen.  The upper level had a HUGE display of Department 56 Villages.

The Department 56 homes and buildings pictured below were displayed on the first floor.  I didn't take any pics on the second floor.

In spite of not being tea drinkers, Sam and the girls said they had a good time.