Holiday entertaining. In my mind flashes a beautiful spread in a vast open home, sparkling with glitz, glitter, and glam. The holidays are so magical…this time of year when we can don an apron, turn on that Nat King Cole CD, and escape to yesteryear. We love the beauty of the meal crafted to perfection, gorgeous decor, and of course those perfect hand-picked gifts.
Along with the entertainment side there is another side to the holiday party. It’s really the most important side – yet with all the busy-busyness it’s easy to miss it or not be as prepared for this other side. The heart of holiday entertaining – no one means to skip it…yet it can happen to all of us…The heart of the party is hospitality. Hospitality isn’t the outer beauty – the pinterest-y decor, recipes and gifts. The heart-filled hospitality is that inner beauty of the party. Without a hospitality heart during the holiday entertaining well then – it’s really just a plain old party. The heart is when you genuinely care about the people coming into your home. Sometimes it is hard to keep life simple enough so we don’t miss the opportunities to show genuine hospitality. Keeping it fun. Genuine. Real. This makes me think of one of my most favorite annual ‘holiday parties’. This party takes place by happenstance every year. The spontaneous moment in December when I am sure I don’t have time to fit one more thing in…when my neighbor drops by to ask a quick question about her dog or asks to borrow an ingredient for dinner. I beg her to stay, brew a pot of tea and pull out a few of my nicer cups. We catch up on life, Christmas, our kids, and rants on our busy schedules. That pot of tea is what we gathered around and it became my sweet offering to my dear neighbor.
Adding in a pot of tea to any holiday gathering can be just that sweet offering of hospitality. And the great part about that is it really is just that simple and yet it makes our guests feel warm and welcomed. A hot pot of tea nestled in a snugly tea cozy and some pretty mugs or teacups simply says I want you here and thank you for coming!
So, here are the basic elements to adding a festive…warm and welcoming Tea Bar to your Holiday Party:
- Teapot or Mugs
- Brewing Basket or Fillable Tea Bags
- Selection of Premium Loose Leaf Tea – try our Classic Christmas Tea Sampler
- Perfect Cup of Teaspoon (or pre-fill the Fillable Tea bags)
- Filtered water
- Hot pot to heat your water in. A good carafe that maintains temperature will do in a pinch!
- A tea tidy or two to hold used tea bags or brewing basket
Locate your Tea Bar in a place of interest in your home. Lay out the bar on a tray and use a cake stand or cute basket to hold your tea selections. Use little signs to show the different types of tea. Print off our How to Brew directions or make your own. We have over 80+ premium selections and we would love to help you create the perfect Tea Bar for your event!
So as your making your Holiday Entertaining plans… round it out with some genuine Hospitality. And if you get a chance to brew a pot of tea for a friendly pop-in that is even better!
