Teatime Tales

Last week Concordia Retirement Community hosted a teatime social, which was a twist on the usual British style tea. The well-attended event started with every resident wearing a flower attached to a clothespin. If a person’s table mates said the words tea, water, or sugar, one could take their flower from them. Trying to convince someone to say tea, water, or sugar was not as hard as one might think. It was fun to see several residents with two and three flowers! The residents as well as the staff serving tea had fun with this. The flowers would pass from one resident to another as they lost, regained, and lost their flowers multiple times. The other game that had the residents laughing was a guessing game with tea-related and non-related items on a tray.

For those of us who think we have a good memory, it showed us we need to do more brain exercises. In between these games, there was delightful conversation and memories of girlhood tea parties with friends, stuffed animals, and moms of course. Listening to the table talk about tea party memories was as sweet as the tea itself.

One resident said her mother hand painted an old wooden table for her bedroom. She would then invite her stuffed animals for a tea party. The parties lasted for a long time because she had to make sure each stuffed animal had a chance to have tea, and she had a lot of stuffed animals! She used water for “tea,” because her mom did not trust her to have Kool-Aid in her room and thought she would be crazy with that much sugar. Many of the teatime stories shared had similar themes. Sometimes it is not the event, but the conversations and the new memories these events create.

Unlike most of the residents’ childhood parties, Concordia’s teatime social did serve real tea. There were about 12 different flavors, ranging from black to green to Chamomile tea, which was handed out at the end of the tea party, so no one fell asleep during the party. Chamomile, a favorite herbal tea, is known to enhance sleep because it increases serotonin and melatonin in the body. It has a smooth taste and is said to improve the function of one’s immune system and heart function as well.

Tea goes back almost 5,000 years, and China seems to lay claim to its origins and popularity, but other sources say it goes back to the Romans. No matter where it came from, tea is a very popular drink. There are even tea bags for cold water tea now.

A tea party would not be complete without sweet treats. The chefs at Concordia made homemade mini cream puffs that rivaled those I enjoyed as a child at the Wisconsin State Fair. For those who preferred healthy treats, our chefs had trays of fresh strawberries and fruit as well as a modern take on cucumber sandwiches.

Although the residents were served delicious treats, the tea was the hit of the party. According to residents at Concordia Retirement Community, it is a beloved drink that stirs up wonderful memories. If you are in the neighborhood of Concordia, please stop by for a cup of tea.

Before touring our fine community nestled in the quiet countryside of Bella Vista, call 479-855-4197 so we can have a pot of your favorite tea waiting for you.