The REAL Tea Party!

Mom & Dad's dog, "Puppy"

     Okay.  The Tea Party is in the news daily.  But, I would like to share the REAL Tea Party news with you...
  
     When my daughter was about to turn 21, she was in a state of deep depression.  Only 3 weeks prior, her fiance had died in a freak accident;  he had been her high school sweetheart; they were best friends; they were prom king and queen. She was in a state of absolute shock, severe grief, heartache.  She lost a lot of weight.  Her hands shook.  She was a wreck.
     And, here comes her 21st birthday...  HOW could I make my daughter smile?  And then, I got this crazy idea.  I have no idea where this idea came from, but I decided to have a "Mad Hatter's Tea Party" for her birthday.  I invited tons of people; almost everyone who was invited attended.  I gathered up all my grandmothers' old jewelry, my own costume jewelry, every scarf, every costume, every hat, every chunk of flashy fabric I could find...

yesterday's Tea Party

  
       I decorated  the buffet table with crumpled table linens, extra jewelry, little angels, Kewpie dolls, wrapped candies, you-name-it.  The menu was even topsy-turvy, including a punch bowl full of fruit salad - big wedges, including the rinds. Colorful mini-sandwiches.  Several teapots with various types of tea.  A giant pot of hot chocolate. No paper plates and cups for this party! Everyone got a china plate and a fancy teacup and saucer from my vast collection of same.  No two teacups were alike, and most of the plates were only duplicated once or so... There was no set pattern to anything, yet, it was artistically balanced and a feast for the eyes.

Moshe & me at an earlier Tea Party

      The invitations instructed everyone to wear a hat of some sort, and included the "warning" that if you did not arrive wearing a hat, one would be provided.  As the guests arrived, everyone was instructed to "help" each other get "dolled up".  Matchy-matchy would not be tolerated.  Ohhh, the ladies got into the spirit!  We had the tackiest bunch of outfits one could never imagine.  Towards the end of the party, each guest had their photo taken by yours truly.  We had a wonderful wall that my daughter had painted with giant flowers;  this became "the portrait wall".  Each person was also instructed to bring a talent.  It could be a serious talent or something silly.  Some people sang or played piano, some recited funny poems, one little girl wrote an original song that she sang for my daughter.  It was great.
     The party lasted for about five hours!  Never before had there been so much laughter at a get-together.  The party was a hit.  My daughter escaped her pain for a few hours, not only smiling but laughing.  A lot.  I am certain that she - and many others who were grieving the loss of Jeff - appreciated the craziness of that tea party.
  

Hayley, a young guest a few years ago...

      Since then I have had many, many tea parties.  Often they were dinner parties in which the startled guests  were surprised by my coming to the door in tea-party attire, and announcing that they were going to have to dress up, too!  Sometimes they were planned events - birthday parties,  wedding showers, baby showers, even a couple of Sunday school parties.  There was always the element of surprise for at least some of the guests.  I dropped the idea of the talent show, because it took a lot of time.  And the food and table decorations aren't always as crazy as that first celebration.  One time a couple  friends dropped by unannounced during a tea party... The guests all pitched in and decorated my hapless friends;  I got out a couple more plates, etc., and those two girlfriends never forgot that experience!
     Every time,  no matter how young or old;  male or female; mad, sad, or glad;  every person in attendance spends the majority of tea party time laughing.  It is a trip back to childhood wherein one can laugh at themselves and at each other with an innocence long since past.  Worries about weight or age vanish.
  

cutting the cake... Like father, like son???

       So, THAT is the real tea party!  Yesterday, we had our most recent tea party.  It was a belated birthday party for my brother, Rick.  We had a spaghetti dinner, homemade bread, a big tossed salad, OMG cake, and lots of gooey ice cream.  And, of course, there were the tea pots full of spiced tea for our fancy tea cups.
Over the years I have accumulated  so much costume stuff that nowadays folks can wear outrageous outfits, with plenty to spare.
     Glenn Beck talks about the Tea Party almost every day.  And, I know he is pro-Tea Party.  But, I wish he could see one of THESE Tea Parties- Now THAT would be worth reporting on!

all the animals dressed up, too!

          SHALOM  Y'ALL-


              TWYLA