Traditions
My granddaughter and her guests gathered for a very special Sunday party.
Little girls in frilly hats gather for an afternoon of tea and fun.
In the summer, when the sun is high in the sky, my family often gathers in the front yard to sit in the shade of our bigleaf maple tree. One day as I relaxed beneath this grand tree, had a spark of inspiration. How fun it would be to host a tea party for my dear granddaughter Katelynn and a few of her friends from the neighborhood!
As I began planning the tea party, the idea grew and became a fun project. I sent out invitations to the girls. Then I found a child-sized table with enough chairs to seat the guests.
I didn’t want to use my good china, but I did want the table to look elegant. So I paid a visit to a local secondhand store and then purchased an inexpensive china set. All of the pieces didn’t match, but they looked lovely arranged on the table.
On the invitation, I asked the young ladies to come dressed in their Sunday best. This was a very special occasion that required fancy attire. No jeans allowed! The neighbor children arrived at my house on time, all dressed up.
Because one of my favorite craft activities is decorating largebrimmed straw hats, I provided the hats and had each girl decorate her own to wear during the party.
Hats, flowers, ribbons and bows were spread out on my dining room table, along with a thick layer of newspaper to protect the finish from the dripping glue guns. The girls were very creative, and their hats turned out beautifully.
Next, I directed them outside to continue the merriment. Each one took a seat at the table I had set up under the maple tree.
I served sweet iced tea rather than hot tea since it was a warm day. The girls behaved like polite little ladies as they took turns pouring cups of refreshing tea for themselves and each other. They chattered happily, sipped their tea and nibbled on cookies.
Watching them enjoy the tea party under the shade of the maple tree was more enchanting than I could have imagined. I snapped some lovely photos of a moment in time that I will cherish.
Perhaps Kate will plan a tea party for her own daughter or granddaughter someday, and a tradition will have been born.