"A Yuletide Tea - Part II"


      Now that you’ve completed your preliminary planning and have the invitations in the mail, it’s time to decide how you will decorate your holiday tea table. 
      Regardless of the style party you choose, whether it will be buffet or sit-down, your table should be extra special. Fill it with as many holiday ceramics and decorations as you can. The more eye candy, the better. Holiday teapots and plates and even sugar bowls and cream pitchers will really help set the mood. 
      If you are having a sit- down tea party, charger plates make the place settings even more special. And carry the theme through to the table linens. Table covers and napkins embellished in the holiday theme and colors will add that finishing touch. Don’t be afraid to fill your table to near overflowing. Remember, this is a very special time of year and deserves extra special effort. Everyone will delight in seeing all of the delightful decorations that come out only once a year! 
      And you can carry the decorations over to the chairs as well. A special piece of fabric tied around the backs of chairs embellished with a holiday ornament will complete the look of your Yuletide Tea table. 
      To accomplish this look, you will need about a yard-and-a-quarter of fabric. Lace and tulle or even chiffon work well. Wrap the fabric lengthwise around the back of the chair and tie in a knot.  Cascade the top end over the other, like an ascot. Tuck a couple of holiday picks behind the fabric and your chairs will be dressed up for the party as well. If you want a grander look, purchase about two yards of fabric and tie it in a pretty bow at the back of the chair and decorate with a holiday ornament. 
      Favors are also fun to offer to your guests to take home as a memento of the party. Holiday crackers are a traditional British favorite. You can either purchase them from any number of stores or online, or you can make them yourself. You will need toilet paper rolls, crepe paper, contrasting printed paper, ribbon, and double-sided tape. 
      Fill the toilet paper rolls with candy and wrap them in a 9" x 13" piece of crepe paper. Secure the paper with double-sided tape and tie both ends with ribbon. To make the paper even prettier, you can cut it with pinking shears. Cut a piece of contrasting printed paper 4" x 6" and wrap it around the tube, securing it with double-sided tape. You can rubber stamp decorations onto plain paper to decorate as well. 
      And, finally, if you like, you can put each person’s name on a cracker by cutting out a small shape in plain paper and writing their name on it. Secure these labels to the crackers and use them instead of place cards. 
      Another holiday party favor that is just as much fun and easy to make as the crackers starts with Chinese take-out food boxes (you know, those little white boxes with the square metal handles that your Chinese take-out food comes in). You can purchase these boxes from craft stores or party supply stores and decorate them yourself. All you will need is some brightly colored ribbon and a pretty holiday ornament or even a simple sprig of boxwood (plastic or real) to finish the wrapping. 
      Fill the boxes with candy or some other special treat. Fold them closed and tie them up with ribbon just like you would a present. Secure the ornament or boxwood to the top of the ribbon and you have a special treat for your guests to take home. And if you don’t want to leave the boxes plain white, you can spray paint them a bright holiday color, like red or green or even gold. They will look like little jewel boxes sitting on your Yuletide Tea table. 
      By now, you have your invitations mailed, the place cards prepared, the menu selected and your table set. Now all you need are your guests and some entertainment.
      There are many parlor games that would bring a lot of laughter and holiday cheer to your Yuletide Tea Party. Games such as these were very popular in Victorian times, but are just as much fun today. Below are the instructions for three games that will keep your guests amused while they sip your favorite flavor of holiday tea and feast on all of the goodies you’ve prepared. They’re fun, entertaining and a great way to enjoy a laugh with friends and family. 
      So get busy and plan your Yuletide Tea Party. You will be the talk of the neighborhood and at the top of everyone’s guest list in the future! 



                                            Christmas Trivia 

      Ask your guests these trivia questions and see how many people can answer them.

1. What song sold more records than any other song ever recorded?   
         White Christmas

2. What was Scrooge’s worker’s name?   
         Bob Cratchet

3. What kind of tree was the partridge in?
         Pear

4. Name two of Santa’s other names. 
         Chris Cringle, St. Nick, Father Christmas

5. How did Santa get up the chimney?
         Laid his finger beside his nose

6. What is the evergreen tree a symbol of?
         Everlasting light

7. What store did Santa appear in the movie “Miracle on 34th Street”?
         Macy's

8. Why did Santa need Rudolph to guide the sleigh? 
         Because of fog

9. What Barbara Streisand song is named after the Christmas tree?
         Evergreen

10. Who was a jolly happy soul?
         Frosty the Snowman

11. What was the special present opened in the Nutcracker?
         Toy Soldier

12. Who wrote the Christmas Story?
         Charles Dickens

13. What was the name of the town in “It’s a Wonderful Life”?
         Bedford Falls

14. What is the greenery people kiss under at Christmas?
         Mistletoe

15. What was Scrooge’s first name?
         Ebenezer

16. Who played Santa in the movie “The Santa Clause”?
         Tim Allen

17. How many gold rings are in the song “12 Days of Christmas”?
         Five

18. When does Santa Clause arrive at Macy’s in New York?
         Thanksgiving Day

19. Where did the ending of the movie “White Christmas” take place?
         Vermont

20. What traditional firewood is burned at Christmas?
         Yule log
  


                                             Penny Game 

      Give each of your guests the same number of pennies. You begin by saying, “I’ve never ......” and then finish with something you ‘ve never done, e.g., “fallen into a Christmas tree.” 
      Everyone who HAS fallen into a Christmas tree then throws one of their coins into a bowl that you’ve placed in the center of the table. Continue around the group with each person stating something they have not done. The last person still holding a coin wins!



                                    Christmas Challenge 

      You start off by naming a holiday item, e.g., Mistletoe. Then the next person has to name an item whose first letter is the same as the last letter of the item named before them, e.g., Egg Nog. And the next person, e.g., Glass Ornament, etc. 
      No repeating of items is allowed, so the game should get harder the longer it goes on. If a person cannot think of an item, then they must drop out of the game. The last person left wins!