Tradition of Tea

As I reflect upon my little girl and her upcoming birthday, I'm grateful for the tradition that I began with her 16 years ago....the tradition of tea. Every year around her birthday, we sip tea together.

We began our tradition at an antique shop that served the best scones, and allowed her to play dress up with their hats and gloves while we indulged in English Breakfast tea, her favorite, at that time. After tea, we would peruse the antique shop for rare finds. There began her love of all things old and antique.  We did that for a few years and graduated to the Ritz Carlton and the Four Seasons in Georgetown. We loved the Four Seasons and were very disappointed when they stopped serving afternoon tea. However, in retrospect, I'm grateful because it caused me to be creative, especially when times were tough and visits there would have been cost prohibitive.

Over the years, I became quite creative, but this year I outdid myself planning  tea in our garden. This year tea was in honor of her return to college, her birthday and most of all, my appreciation of  her love and motivation.  My daughter inspires me to be better and her love and inspiration motivated me to create the ambiance for this most special tea.

It was a pleasure hosting a tea in her honor and this time she requested the presence of her aunt (my sister) and her adorable daughter. While Sierra was asleep, my husband and I, as well as our younger son, began set up. We moved some furniture around, brought some of the inside, out and created an outdoor tearoom. Our table was a cable spool that a very special woman, whom I affectionately called Auntie Grace, saw in my garage last year and encouraged me to use as a table. It's become one of my most favorite pieces.

As a tea lover and antique shopper, I have a large collection of bone and porcelain china tea wares. I used a combination of my grand-mother's tea pots (over 100 years old), antique purchases and newer pieces purchased over the years. I used teapots as vases, including one that was made from sterling silver. Everything we used came out our cabinets and grandma's pieces added that nostalgic personal touch. I filled the vases with eucalyptus and sunflowers (which my daughter absolutely loves). It was all about her and I was mindful about surrounding her with the things that bring her joy and peace.

On the menu, we made cucumber sandwiches, pb and j, egg salad and tuna salad sandwiches. My daughter made lemon poppyseed scones which we ate with lemon curd and double devon cream. Yum! The day before, I headed over to our local French bakery, Gerard's and picked up cookies, petit fours and a few other sweet treats. My sister brought the pièce de résistance,  Sierra's favorite cupcakes, from Georgetown cupcakes. It was an evening of love, laughs and pure joy in our own quirky way.

Tradition is very important to us and I didn't spend a lot of money indulging in our tradition this year. It actually cost approx. US$50.  Special, memorable events are not about the cost, but the time spent together making beautiful memories and creating tradition.

It's never too late to start a tradition. Tap into your beauty within and make time with your special someone, be it your child, spouse, friend, sibling or parent. Focus on the time together, and be creative in the execution. The joy you experience is priceless and the memories last a lifetime. Be creative, be mindful, be beautiful and embrace your journey.