Christmas Tea- Oui!

Have you ever been to an “official” Christmas Tea? This afternoon I took my daughter Sarah to a darling French Bistro called Suzettes, in Wheaton. We love having an excuse to get dressed up and we wanted to celebrate the holiday season in a special mother-daughter way. It was a bit of a splurge, but it was worth it for the priceless memory we will have. The only thing that would have made it more perfect is if Sarah’s big sister Allie and my daughter-in-law Amy had been with us.

The menu promised a three-course yummy meal; tea sandwiches followed by scones, ending with a sweets buffet. We chose the Moroccan Mint Green Tea to drink and the server stopped by with the first tray. At first I thought, really, only one little sandwich? I didn’t realize it was just the first of six different amazing types. The lesson learned during the first course was don’t jump to conclusions too quickly!

I’ll try to remember all we ate so you can pretend you were with us. We had turkey with cream cheese on cranberry bread, chicken salad with almonds & mandarin oranges, smoked salmon, hard-boiled eggs with mayo, cucumber & radishes with cream cheese on rye, and sun-dried tomato & pesto sandwiches.

The second course mini scones were very sweet cranberry and we topped them with homemade lemon curd and Devon-shire cream flown in from Britain. Did you know this rich cream is made from Devon-shire cows?

Our tea cups were kept full and we talked and talked. I think the best conversations with a loved one are quiet and face to face over a warm drink, or in the case of my husband, at a restaurant over a glass of wine…

We vowed we’d take our time like they do in Paris, and enjoy every morsel. After we finished our scones we headed for the sweets buffet and filled our little dessert plates with small Christmas cookies. I think I'll make my Christmas cookies tiny this year so I can enjoy more without feeling guilty.

Our teacups were refilled over and over. Sometimes we didn’t even have to ask! The devotional called Fill My Cup Lord, by Emilie Barnes, offers up a prayer that begins with “fill my cup Lord; I hold it up to you with outstretched hands, my heart parched and thirsty for your living water.”

The next time you’re pouring tea or coffee in your cup or mug, remember that our Lord promises to fill us up with his love and peace. Sometimes we ask for His help, sometimes He just knows we need it. “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” Psalm 23:5 Once filled full we are refreshed and then can spill His love out to others.

I hope you can find a Christmas Tea near your hometown. Sarah and I already know we want to make this a yearly tradition and next December we’ll ask for the table near the fireplace.

May your cup overflow!