Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Lily's Christmas Tea

Lily and her family started having tea with me each Christmas
when she was 4 years old.
This year Lily is 17.
What an adventure it has been to see Lily walk in my door
each year and grow into a beautiful young woman.
This year was our final tea as Lily will be off to college
and I am getting older.
The memories of each tea are precious.
They each were a themed tea from Give a Mouse a Cookie, the first year,
to this years theme, Christmas in the Village.
The menu had many repeats from previous years.
The egg salad and chopped olive sandwiches were always favorites.
Caramelized onion with roast beef and a touch of horseradish.
A new one had to be added with herbed ricotta on toasted
wontons plus red pepper and basil.
Coronation chicken was in sandwich form before,
but this time in fillo baskets.
Of course cucumber had to show up somewhere,
it formed the basket handles.
Tea time wouldn't be complete without tea.
 There was a special Alishan Black tea with the savories
and Celestial Seasons Candy Cane Lane with the sweets.
The sweets were Battenburg Cake, cheesecake with raspberry sauce,
pecan pie bars.
For take home there was a sugar cookie, candy cane, and bag of tea
for a later tea break.
Each year Lily and I posed for our annual picture
and I wished her well for another year.
Thanks to Lily and her family for the precious memories.
Tea time will never be the same at Christmas,
but I thoroughly enjoyed the adventure.

PS The words I wrote on Friday's post were for this Lily.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a delightful time we had. Thanks for all the years of Christmas teas with you. I will truly miss the treat!

martea said...

Truly a lovely way to end your annual tea parties for sweet Lily....
What wonderful memories you have created for her.

Bernideen said...

Oh what a incredible array of food Marilyn. No tea room could do it any better. A beautiful young lady. Your granddaughter or a friend's daughter? A wonderful posting!

Judith @ Lavender Cottage said...

I'm sure Lily will have fond memories of your teas over the years, and the sumptuous food you shared.
Have you thought of putting together a book of photos from these teas for Lily?

Catherine said...

This is a beautiful and delicious tradition with fond memories to go along.

Antiques And Teacups said...

How very special! What a wonderful tea...filled with memories, love and delights indeed!
Ruth

Gigi Thibodeau said...

What a beautiful tradition, Marilyn, and one that I am sure Lily will always treasure. I especially love that you included old favorites, but also added new twists and surprises, like those cucumber handles. Your sweets look absolutely delicious, especially my favorite Battenburg cake! xo Gigi

Deanna Rabe - Creekside Cottage Blog said...

What a very sweet time, and I know that this will be a highlight in Lily's memories.

Deanna

Unknown said...

So very lovely..... its just the BEST.

Laura Morrigan said...

That is lovely! such great memories for you both!

Beth in NEPA said...

The memories of these teas will be special in the many years to come. And now I understand the poem you posted on Friday.

Jeanie said...

Marilyn, it's gorgeous! Elaborate and elegant. I'll bet you have quite the collection of photos tracing your lives and Lily's. Love that!

Jeanne said...

Beautiful tradition to have and Lily will remember these for years to come as will you.
Blessings

Jeanne

Steph said...

What a special time! Lily is a luck young woman to have you in her life.

Gail said...

Oh how I love tradition - time honored traditions and memories. Great pictures, so lovely and yummy - great essay :-)
Merry Christmas
Love, Gail
peace......

Adrienne said...

I can hardly believe Lily is 17 already. She's a beautiful young lady and you have given her many sweet memories to treasure as she goes on in life as an adult. I loved seeing the tea and hearing about it. It looks and sounds wonderful.
~Adrienne~

Angela McRae said...

Looks like it was another wonderful tea! And best wishes to Lily as she heads off to college!

Joy said...

What wonderful memories you have made for Lily and her family, and for you as well.

Pearl's Tea said...

Marilyn- I'm finally reading these wonderful posts about Lily and your annual christmas tea parties. so lovely and enchanting! I'm glad she now understands the specialness of this gift over the years- to write about it for her college essay was inspired. She is a lucky young woman and you are an inspiration yourself!