A Dessert Tea for the Holidays

What is the Christmas spirit? It is the spirit which brings a smile to the lips and tenderness to the heart; It is the spirit which warms one into friendship with all the world, which impels one to hold out the hand of fellowship to every man and woman. ~ Anonymous

Merry Christmas dear bloggy friends! I decided to do one more post before the Holidays.

The magic of Christmas is not in the presents but in His Presence. ~ unknown

I have set out my Johnson Brothers Old Britain Castles for a dessert tea with my pink Queens Christmas plates. 

We had our Island family over for dinner the other night when we gave our grandsons their presents before they go to Ontario for Christmas. I made pumpkin pie for them and I picked up the Yule log cake at M and M's because one of them prefers cake. My lovely friend Marilyn brought me the sticky date pudding with the sauce. So, we will enjoy some of these treats today.

You may choose pumpkin pie...

Buche de Noel, a lovely log cake filled with mousse and raspberries.

or Sticky Date Pudding with warm toffee sauce. 

The holidays are a time of family traditions and gatherings with friends - simple moments to savour like a cup of tea. 

There is a Christmas tea in the teapot ...

and hot chocolate to go in my newly acquired Old Britain Castles mugs which were my impulse buy a few weeks ago. I have four of them.

I already had a few place settings in this pattern and I couldn't resist getting the matching mugs too. I adore red/pink transferware!

The table is set so let's enjoy a treat.

Tea is a time in which we were perfectly contented with ourselves and one another. - Charles Dickens 

 

Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. - Luke 2:11

A little tidbit that some of you may not know:
Did you know that the wise men did not visit the stable when Jesus was born? Yes, they are very much a part of the Christmas story but they didn't actually arrive to worship the new born King until a couple of years later when Jesus and His parents were living in the house. {Matthew 2:11} The wise men did follow the Star to Bethlehem and the gifts they brought Him were used to help the Holy Family escape to Egypt where they remained until Herod had died. God protected the Family and kept them safe. After that, the Holy Family returned to Nazareth where Jesus grew up. 

Thank you for stopping by for a visit and please know that I have loved having you stop by this past year. Your visits and comments are what make blogging so worthwhile. 
Many of you stood by me after I closed down my parties for health reasons and you have prayed for me when I was going for my surgeries. You are all so precious and I thank God for each one of you.

This will be my last post until the new year so I will take this opportunity to wish you and those you love a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! May your holidays be filled with love, joy, hope, and peace. The Lord bless you all!


I am joining the following parties as well~

Tuesday Cuppa Tea
Share Your Cup
 Home Sweet Home

 Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi

Christmas Time is Here

Snow flakes in the air
Carols everywhere
Olden times and ancient rhymes
Of love and dreams to share.

Sleigh bells in the air
Beauty everywhere
Yuletide by the fireside
And joyful memories there.

Christmas time is here
We'll be drawing near
Oh, that we could always see,
Such spirit through the year.... ~ From A Charlie Brown Christmas

Hello friends! I love that song! Don't you just love this time of year? Our kitchens are filled with the aroma of baked goods fresh from the oven. You know, those treats we only bake for Christmas?The Christmas lights twinkle from our trees and windows and the sound of music permeates every room of the house. There is a sense of expectancy in the air and one cannot help but feel thankful for such a beautiful season.

This sweet little wooden teapot ornament arrived in the mail the other day from my friend Margie. It is in good company with many other special treasures gifted to me over the years by family, friends, and yes, my blogger friends too. Thank you, Margie!

It looks cute on my whimsical memory tree.

Hubby and I have been very busy and to top the busyness all off, we have been sofa hunting too! We finally settled on a Lazyboy sofa in teal. The fabric on the left looks wonderful with my pillows and drapes.

I am excited for it to arrive which won't be for nine weeks but that's OK. I have something nice to look forward to.

Today I am using some Christmas inspired china for our tea time. There is a spicy tea steeping in the teapot and there are a variety of cookies to enjoy.

The teapot was a Christmas gift from my son and his family a few years ago. It is made by Ganz. I love the holly motif on it! 

This is a Royal Stafford teacup with a pretty holly motif I found at a yard sale years ago.

Of course, you all know this is Royal Albert's cup of the month for December; Christmas Rose.

A plate of lovely cookies. There are chocolate peanut butter balls, sugar cookie trees with sprinkles, chocolate dipped almond crescents, Scotch cookies, spider cookies, and snickerdoodles.

Please help yourself to cookies and a cup of tea.

I think it's important to take some time to relax and not allow the hustle and bustle to rob us of the beauty of this holiday season. 

Taking time for tea is a lovely way to just sit and savour not only tea and treats but the traditions passed down. Most importantly, the Reason for the Season; the first coming of our Lord Jesus. 

Christmas is that moment in time when God, in His unconditional love, stepped out of heaven and onto earth, in order that we might one day step out of earth into heaven. - Charles F Stanley

Thank you dear ones for stopping by for a visit today and may the Lord bless you and your family this Christmas!

Country Christmas

It's Christmas in the country,
The mantel's trimmed with cards;
Friends and neighbours far and near
Stop in with their regards.

A cheery wreath adorns the door,
An angel tops the tree,
And coloured lights are strung about,
Twinkling merrily.

Mistletoe hangs from the door,
The children just can't wait;
Time seems to pass so slowly,
They want to celebrate.

Then when at last the day arrives,
There's magic in the air--
It's Christmas in the country,
And what a grand affair! ~ Kathy A. Schaeffer



I am joining the following parties as well~

 Tuesday Cuppa Tea
 Friends Sharing Tea
 Share Your Cup Thursday
 Home Sweet Home

Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi