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The Chinese New Year is a celebration of change which equates to the familiar saying, “out with the old and in with the new”. I celebrated Chinese New Year for the first time in Brisbane, with these 10 points in mind.
- Make Time for family – I ventured down to Chinatown with my husband to watch the festivities and shared a cup of a Chinese Herbal containing Chrysanthemum flowers, Goji berries and Red dates.
Chrysanthemum flowers, Goji berries and Red dates herbal
- Accepting Gifts Red envelopes (Lei See) are given as gifts where the red colour of the envelope and the money inside symbolizes good luck and is said to ward off evil spirits.
- Year of the Dragon / Dragon or Lion Dance – A dragon or lion dance is performed on New Year’s Day to bring luck and prosperity for the coming year. People born in the year of the Dragon are said to be strong, self-assured and loyal. What Chinese zodiac animal are you?
Double Dragon, Double Luck
- Kumquats, Peanuts and candies – Kumquats represent prosperity; peanuts, long life and eating fruits and candies are encouraged to symbolize having a sweet and abundant life.
- Imagery / symbolism - Chinese New Year is all about decorating the house with signs and posters on doors and windows with the word for luck (Fú).
- Negative Chi –To ill fortune and negative chi, one must reconcile differences, forget any grudges and sincerely wish peace, love and happiness to all!
- Good Fortune – One must sweep away ill fortune on New Year’s to make way for incoming good luck for the coming year.
- Traditional foods – Many traditional foods served throughout the festivities because the name or look of the food sounds/looks similar to a lucky word. One of my favourites are tea eggs, symbolizing fertility.
- Evil Spirits – As well as wearing red fire crackers are set off to ward off spirits and a way to send out the old year and welcome the New Year.
- Ancestors – Temples are visited to pay respect to ancestors, and food and incense is brought to please the spirits of the decreased.
See also:
Tea and the Chinese New Year
© Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog, 2009-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this article’s author and/or the blog’s owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Nothing can bring out such a range of emotions — from fear and loathing to elation and sheer joy — than the office birthday party. How you react could depend in large part on which side of the party you’re on: the celebrant, an attendee, or the party giver. It can also depend on the party fixins. Personally, I couldn’t imagine a birthday celebrated without tea, but others can, so for me to be the party giver and not be able to serve tea is a bit on the horrifying side.
I tend to view birthdays as something that should be celebrated with sincerity. Most office birthday parties lack this essential ingredient. They are either expected and done as a duty or lumped together into one big “monthly birthday observance” (which short changes those born in one of the most birthday filled months like August) or outright banned as a distraction from work and an unnecessary expense.
One year, I got caught up in the “office birthday party trap.” The way it worked at this particular place was that the last one whose birthday was celebrated in the office had to provide the next birthday treats. I told them I didn’t want to be feted, but they did anyway, obligating me to treat the next person in turn.
Okay, I can handle this, I guess. I’ll just ignore the fact that the person having the birthday is a co-worker I hardly knew and who had barely spoken to me since my duties didn’t relate to hers. Also, I wanted to plan a nice tea event, but she heard about it, told the department head, and I was summarily informed that I had to serve what she wanted. That turned out to be orange juice and donuts.
Yeah, I said orange juice…
and donuts.
By this time I had figured out that the party giver had two basic roles here: money machine and gopher. That last part was the real trick. Have you ever carried a briefcase, two boxes (the big flat kind) containing a dozen glazed donuts each, two one-gallon bottles of orange juice, plus plastic cups and plates from the parking lot, through the security gate, into a crowded elevator, and finally to the break room to put the orange juice in the refrigerator? Two words here: not fun. Two more words: near catastrophe.
At the appointed hour (10 a.m.), I had everything set up and ready and waited for people to arrive so we could get this show on the road. Attendance was a bit low. I think word had got around about the menu. We had quite a few people in our department who were watching their intake of sweets, especially donuts. We got through it all without too much disappointment, and my duty was done.
When the event was over, the birthday girl was walking away, talking with another woman and berating the whole thing, saying how disappointed she was in the event.
I think I should have stuck with the tea party theme. Sigh!
Next time, I’ll stay home with tea, a cookie, and a good book!
© Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog, 2009-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this article’s author and/or the blog’s owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Round and round the Sun we go. And round and round the calendar we go at the same time. Valentine’s Day is once again looming, and the brows of anxious husbands and sweethearts are beading with the sweat of wondering what will please their true love. Ok, guys, listen up: We want CHOCOLATE! Oh, and roses and some romantic dinner with candles and tea and something you cooked yourself.
Valentine's Bad to the Bone Ghirardelli Gift Set
Simple.
Well, maybe not too simple. Let’s take it a step at a time, starting with the chocolates. (The most important things first, of course!) There are many to choose from, but go for the best. True love is rare and special. Cadbury’s (the kind still made in the U.K.) has a reputation for being rich and flavorful, reflecting the richness of your feelings. Of course, the “bad boy” image has appeal, so some Ghirardelli chocolates with a “Bad to the Bone” bear will get the message across.
Even a more economical version of a chocolate-centered gifts will say “I love you!” loud and clear! The same goes for roses. You can go full out with the traditional dozen long stemmed red beauties, or keep it simple with a gift that includes a single silken rose.
Valentine's Gift Set - Tea and Chocolate
Of course, I fully recognize that we females like to give our special fellas tokens of our affections, too. Planning a special tea time for him can be a pleasure that could lead to “other” things. Heh heh! Be sure chocolate is on the menu, too, since it tends to make you feel a bit “glowing” inside.
A possible 3-course menu for your special “Valentine, Sweet Valentine!” Tea Time:
- First course: A cheese appetizer (brie or camembert) with crackers and Dragonwell tea
- Main course: Roasted chicken, new potatoes boiled and lightly buttered with a sprinkle of dill, braised green beans, and an assortment of raw vegetables (cherry tomatoes, baby carrots, etc.) served with a nice of Ceylon or Assam tea
- Third Course (Dessert): Strawberry shortcake served with some Darjeeling or even Tie Guan Yin.
Why do we go all through this every year? One story says that around 270 A.D. as the Roman Empire was crumbling, Emperor Claudius II banned marriage, thinking bachelorhood would make young men more willing to serve in his army, sorely needed since the empire was under siege from all sides. A cleric named Valentine at the local church, however, would secretly marry young couples who would come to him. For this disobedience, he was executed on February 14th. (Sorry, that’s not very romantic.) In the 14th century the date became associated with love. Greeting card companies took up the cause in the 1840s, issuing greeting cards that seem quite innocent and simple by today’s standards. You can still find some of these older designs on sites like Birdhouse Books.
One final thought here from Helen Keller:
The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.
Here’s wishing you a fabulous Valentine tea time and beyond!
© Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog, 2009-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this article’s author and/or the blog’s owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
One month of the year down already! Amazing how fast time flies, especially for those of us busy learning about, enjoying, tasting, and writing about tea. Time for another round of fabulous things in life that deserve a lift of the teacup and a cheery “Salute!”
Celebrate Cherry Pie Day (February 12th)!
First, let’s forego the obvious, such as Groundhog’s Day, Valentine’s Day, and President’s Day, which are already given sufficient recognition. I’m also skipping over sad events like the plane crash in 1959 where Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper passed on (known as The Day the Music Died).
Let’s begin with a toast to any New Year’s resolutions you’re still keeping, such as your resolution to drink more tea. Clink! Now, on to the list.
- Wave All you Fingers at Your Neighbor Day — February 7th — Set your teacup down first, or a true disaster could ensue. It’s also a full moon day, so your tea time can go late into the evening with all of that wonderful moonlight.
- Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk Day — February 11th — A bit of milk spillage is just part of life, so there’s no need to raise a fuss over it. Unless, of course, it’s the last bit of milk in the house and you’re the type to add a bit of it into your tea. Then it’s an utter (or should I say “udder”?) catastrophe!
- Plum Pudding Day — February 12th — Little Jack Horner sat in a corner, stuck in his thumb and pulled out a plum… or some such thing! Anyway, plum pudding, typically a treat served during winter holidays, can be perfect anytime and makes a splendid tea time treat.
- National Battery Day — February 18th — Get your charge on with some high-voltage tea!
- Cherry Pie Day — February 20th — No need to chop down that cherry tree. Just pick those sweet cherries, bake ’em into a pie, and serve it up all warm and fruity at tea time. A hot cuppa Keemun tea might be a good accompaniment here.
- International Mother Language Day — February 21st — No, we’re not talking about the cooings you say to your newborn or the shout outs to young Johnny or Susie to come in for lunch. We are talking about the language you grew up speaking. So often it shapes us and how we see the world. Just be sure to include the language of tea in that lexicon!
- Walking the Dog Day — February 22nd — In addition to your normal implements for cleaning up whatever your lovely doggie leaves behind, take along a nice travel mug of tea.
- National Tortilla Chip Day — February 24th — You might want to serve your tea chilled or iced on this date to go with those chips and the super hot salsa they pair with so well.
- No Brainer Day — February 27th — Tea + hot water + teapot = a great cuppa tea! Total no brainer.
- Leap Day — February 29th — Don’t miss this once-in-four-years event, an extra day you can enjoy as you please, whether it be a special tea time, a wild tea party, or a cozy tea for two.
Don’t forget to toast birthdays and anniversaries of any of your loved ones and such events of major importance as the arrival of that latest order of teas. Get those teacups clinking. Salute!
© Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog, 2009-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this article’s author and/or the blog’s owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Celebrating birthdays with tea can be a great alternative to the age-old tradition of going out with friends and getting plastered, or having a mild heart attack when you walk in your front door and are greeted with shouts of “Surprise!” Yes, tea is a saner and safer way to celebrate. But it’s also a great soother of “decade birthday angst.”
It seems that every time we approach one of those decade birthdays (20, 30, 40, 50, etc.) a severe angst can set in. Each has it’s own particular character, based on that stage of your life:
- At 20, we are leaving our teen years and setting a foot into adulthood.
- At 30, we start to get a sense of our purpose and path in life, with our goals in sight and possibly a family started.
- At 40, we take stock of how far we’ve come on that path and our progress toward those goals.
Then, there’s 50 ― the half century mark. The biggest, angst-wise, for many of us. For those of you who haven’t reached it yet, keep reading to find out what’s in store. For the rest of you, see if you’re 50th was anything like this.
I remember my mother’s 50th birthday and the days leading up to it. Many of you out there were probably in your 20s when your mom hit the big five-oh, but I was still a snotty teenager. She was a bit wigged out by the date (we’re talking big time “decade birthday angst” here), going so far as to tell us to forget about it entirely — no card, no cake, no presents, etc. In all seriousness, though, I said to her, “Wow, Mom, you’re gonna be a half century old! Who knew you woulda lived that long? You gotta celebrate!”
Dead silence all around.
Did I mention that I said this at the dinner table? And we had guests? Oh, well. Live and learn.
She finally relented and enjoyed the festivities!
Fear the cake!
My turn eventually came round. That half century mark was approaching, looming over the horizon like a high-rise as you drive toward the big city. My life flashed before my eyes. (Yes, I know that’s only supposed to happen when you have a near-death experience, but I guess my angst was pretty severe here.) My first day of school. High school graduation. College graduation. First job. Dating. And so on. Then, hyperventilation kicked in. At this point, hubby became a bit concerned. As people often do when someone doesn’t feel well, hubby suggested a cup of tea.
Now, there are certainly a lot of health benefits being attributed to tea, but I don’t remember “decade birthday angst relief” on the list. I guess calming and soothing are part of that. So, I said “Sure.” We trudged together to the kitchen, put the kettle on, and prepped the teapot. By the time the water had boiled, I was feeling better about that whole 50th birthday business. By the time I’d finished my second cuppa, I was feeling positively happy about it.
You might suspect that it wasn’t just the tea, that hubby holding me in his arms while the water heated and then the tea steeped in the pot was a contributing factor. You could very well be right.
Whatever the case, I survived that milestone and am wondering how I’ll take the next one. As long as hubby is there to fix me some tea, I’m sure I’ll survive it. Don’t forget a cuppa tea as your decade birthday approaches, whichever one it may be.
© Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog, 2009-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this article’s author and/or the blog’s owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Keep that holiday feeling!
Suffering from “holiday withdrawal” now that Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve are behind you? Cheer up and cure those withdrawal symptoms with tea!
This endeavor should not be as laborious as it may sound at first. No need to trudge hither and yon and brave throngs of shoppers wielding pepper spray or grabbing madly at the bargains available. In fact, this tea event should be a holiday from all that holiday falderal!
Start with some of those tea gifts I’m sure you received from Santa and family and friends. If you have finished them all off already, check out those post-holiday sales and pick up a bargain or two. You can usually do this online at your favorite tea site and avoid the crowds scooping up the leftovers in the stores. Check out the food section on those sites while you’re at it, since tea time isn’t much without the proper “nibbles.”
Of course, after all the holiday indulgence, starting with candy that you hid from — uh, I mean that was left over from the trick or treating, and continuing on through the major feasting and partying and baking sprees and toasting the New Year that filled November and December, it’s finally time for a bit of reining in. Oh, who are we kidding? If you’re anything like hubby and me, your appetite for something sweet and chocolaty and with a touch of butter in it has been whetted and needs a gradual tapering off, not going “cold turkey.”
Besides, you probably miss the pretty decorations, sparkle and shine, and candles glowing in their romantic fashion. Go ahead, ’fess up! I sure do.
Earl Grey Cream
Let’s see… where’s that special “Tea Princess” teapot that Santa left under the tree… and some Christmas cake (you always buy an extra one for such occasions, right?)… and then a nice big pot of Darjeeling tea or maybe some Yunnan Gold or even Earl Grey. There, you’ve just extended the holiday season for a little while longer and with practically no effort. You should feel those withdrawal symptoms subsiding. Put on a Christmas CD by Mannheim Steamroller to make things complete!
© Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog, 2009-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this article’s author and/or the blog’s owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Flowering Tea - 3 Flower Burst - Green Tea
The last chorus of “Auld Lang Syne” has drifted off into the night air, the last balloon inscribed with “Happy New Year” has popped, the confetti has been swept up, and Dick Clark has been put back in cold storage for next year’s dropping of the big ball in Times Square. Time to close the door on the old year and start off the new year with a new tea!
“New” is a pretty relative term. For many people in their 30s, 20s, and teens, the music of The Beatles is “new” since they weren’t around when “Hard Days Night” and “8 Days a Week” were first performed to a large crowd of screaming adolescent females. To me, watching Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers on cable TV is new, but not to my parents who grew up going on dates to the cinema to see this star couple glide gracefully through their routines. Thus it is for tea.
The New Year is a great excuse to shake things up a bit, so why not with tea? We tend to be creatures of habit, and thus can slide into ruts both in our lives in general and in such things as our tea enjoyment. So, we need to make the effort to pick something new.
Jasmine Delight Bubble Tea
A few options:
- 100 Monkeys White Tea — A nice way to take the plunge away from black and green teas into the wonderful world of white teas. This is a premium grade, loose leaf white tea from China, and a best-seller. Prepare with care, though. This tea needs water that is heated to about 170-185° F but a longer steeping time of 15 minutes is recommended to let the flavor fully develop.
- Bubble tea — A treat with its origins in Taiwan, where some of the world’s high-end green and oolong teas are grown. This beverage mixes tea, milk, and tapioca balls into something quite unique and very popular in many countries.
- Oolong Orange Blossom Estate tea — A “twofer” that’s great to get you to try oolong and also get a refreshing burst of fruity jasmine notes. Perfect for those who like jasmine but want to explore oolongs.
- Flowering Tea – 3 Flower Burst – Green Tea — A “threefer” not only by design but by effect. The dry tea “bud” contains lily, osmanthus, and jasmine blooms, and is tied together with steamed full leaves of Yunnan green tea. As it unfolds, you will see an impression of the Yunnan Province countryside in China, with its perfect climate for growing flowers. You get a full green taste with peach, lily and jasmine notes. Use boiling water and infuse about 5 minutes.
- Izu Matcha — Powdered green tea from Japan with a bright Spring green color and a rich planty aroma. Go all the way and prepare it in true Japanese fashion, complete with bamboo whisk.
The bottom line is to get out of your tea “comfort zone” and go for something completely new. Who knows, you could like that new flavor so much that it’ll become your new daily cuppa!
© Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog, 2009-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this article’s author and/or the blog’s owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
True tea lovers certainly need no reason to break out the accoutrements and prepare some of that wondrous liquid. However, once prepared, tea makes a most excellent beverage with which to toast occasions both special and trivial. To start off the new year, you had your celebration at the stroke of midnight and most likely spent the first day of the year getting “back to normal” (if there is such a thing).
A Thesaurus by any other name. A synonym for “delicious”: “tea and chocolate pudding”!
Here are an additional 10 super and possibly lesser known things to toast in January:
- Fruitcake Toss Day — January 3rd — Chuck those old fruitcakes over this way. Fruitcakes scorned by one person can be a real treat to another, and you can freeze fruitcakes for months or even longer. Great teas to toast that fruitcake with are black teas with rich flavors. I’m gaga over Assam TGFOP with its jammy malty caramelly flavor that stands up to milk. However, a wonderful cuppa Young Pu-erh or even some Keemun or Sylvakandy Estate black Ceylon tea will do the trick.
- Bubble Bath Day — January 8th — Get those bubbles going! Soft music playing will set the mood. Plenty of candles set around the tub will create the right “glow.” And having a pot of tea handy to sip on while you soak will be the crowning touch. Which tea you choose would be determined by the scent of your bubble bath mix. For example, a lavender scented bath might go best with a nice green tea such as Dragon Pearls.
- Full Moon — January 9th — Full moons light up the sky with reflected but softened sunlight. If you have a deck or patio or nice spot of lawn where a table can be set up, you can have the most lovely moonlight tea time. If the weather is chilly, bundle up with coats and scarves and gloves. You can serve your tea in an insulated carafe or set your teapot on a warmer stand with a little tealight candle lit below it. Any tea will do here, so select a favorite and include foods that you can pick up with gloved fingers.
- International Skeptics Day — January 13th — I think I need proof that this is a real holiday. I mean, c’mon, anybody can make up anything these days. But this tea I’m drinking is really good. And I can prove it!
- National Hat Day — January 15th — Hat wearing and tea enjoyment go together quite well. Hats used to be part of dressing up for tea time, and for some still is. So, put on your hat and head out to the local tea room. Don’t know if there’s one near you? Look it up on TeaGuide.net.
- Thesaurus Day — January 18th — How come it always seems like I have to lisp to say “thesaurus” properly? And I end up spitting tea all over the place. That’s what I get for trying to talk and drink at the same time.
- Chinese New Year and a New Moon — January 23rd — A new moon means the sky is at its darkest, so stars are more visible. But since it’s also the Chinese New Year (they go by a different calendar that most of the world), the night could be lit up with fireworks and lanterns and brightly colored dragons on parade. How about some Gunpowder green tea or a lovely Jasmine tea to start off the celebration in a tasty fashion?
- Opposite Day — January 25th — I hate tea and think that scones are the worst thing ever. (Heh heh, just being a bit opposite here!)
- National Kazoo Day — January 28th — Play a few tunes while your tea is steeping. A bit of John Philip Sousa would be good here. March around the kitchen until the water boils.
- National Inane Answering Message Day — January 30th — “At the sound of the beep, hang up and go steep some tea, ’cause that’s what we’re doing so we won’t be checking messages on this machine for a few hours at least. *BEEP!*”
In every month, be sure to toast birthdays and anniversaries of any of your loved ones. And even celebrate such events of major importance as the arrival of that latest order of teas. Get those teacup clinking. Salute!
© Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog, 2009-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this article’s author and/or the blog’s owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Have a cuppa tea handy while you write your list
The time is near to line up those tea resolutions. Like the commonly made resolutions of losing weight, studying harder, being nicer to people, etc., tea resolutions are goals we set for the New Year in the hope of getting more enjoyment from the tea we drink.
There seems to be some deep human need to assign beginnings and endings to things and then to commemorate them. It seems to be related to us being born, living, and dying. New Year’s Resolutions are one way of marking an ending of the old year and the start of a new year. They date back to 153 B.C. when Janus, a mythical 2-faced king of early Rome who could look at the past and the future simultaneously, was used as the name of the first month of the year on the Roman calendar. Which month was the first and which day was the first day of the year have been different throughout mankind’s history and is still different in countries around the world, China being the most notable.
Resolutions are very personal things. Tea resolutions are even more personal, since your approach to tea and what you want from it are things that only you can decide.
A few basic resolutions you might consider:
- Read a tea book or two or even three (there’s tons of ’em out there)
- Make a point of having a daily “tea moment” (just you, a cozy spot, and a cuppa tea)
- Order some tea samples totally different from any teas you’ve tried before ― expand your taste horizons!
- Add a special teapot to your arsenal
- Ditto for a special teacup and saucer or a mug
Some more esoteric resolutions to try out:
- Try a different way of preparing your teas, for example doing a gongfu style preparation instead of the European style
- Attend tea seminars and even possibly the next World Tea Expo
- Adopt someone as your tea protégé to teach them about tea
- Make up your own blend of teas for your personal enjoyment and/or to share with friends
- Start your own boutique tea company (assuming that your tea blends are a hit with your friends), like so many seem to be doing these days
- Write your own book about tea or in some way related to tea, like Katrina Ávila Munichiello did recently
- Begin your collection of antique teawares from Wedgwood and others
Whatever you decide to be your tea resolutions (i.e., goals) for the New Year, put your list together while sipping tea so you have the proper inspiration, and be realistic here. Having a resolution to visit every tea garden on the planet might not be achievable, especially if you have school age children or lack the funds for such extensive traveling. I wouldn’t count such a thing out entirely, though. After all, where there’s a will there’s a way.
Happy Tea New Year!
See also:
Tea Samplers
Toasting in the New Year with the “Champagne of Teas”
New Year’s Tea Time Resolutions
Tea Resolutions and Other New Year’s Stuff
Holiday Tea Time — New Year’s Eve
© Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog, 2009-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this article’s author and/or the blog’s owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Online Stores, Inc., and The English Tea Store Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
What lovely item awaits in the prettily wrapped box?
Santa gets his milk and cookies, but what does a “Tea Princess” get for Christmas? That’s easy: anything she wants!
A “Tea Princess” Christmas is full of music, bright colors, great food, and lots of wonderful teas. Plus, a truly kind-hearted “Tea Princess” shares these things with that “Tea Prince” in her life ― boyfriend, fiancé, husband, etc.
So much for the generalities. Now for the details.
Christmas for the “Tea Princess” begins with waking from dreams of sugar plums dancing and of a sleigh pulled by eight reindeer through a cold and starry night. She is raised from her gentle slumber by the aroma wafting to her nostrils of a lovely breakfast being prepared. The sounds of traditional carols grace the hollow of her ear in a gentle caress that says, “Awake, fair one.”
She rises, wraps a warm robe around her, and shuffles to the kitchen in her fuzzy slippers, to be greeted by a sign saying “Delights Await You in the Dining Room.” With a smile, she goes to the dining room and enters to see a table well spread with sparkling dishes and flatware, to inhale the thick and warm aromas of the foods that had teased her awake, and to hear those carols at full volume now, not muffled, and bringing their special inspirations to her heart. Her “Tea Prince” awaits, still wearing his apron and grinning broadly. They share breakfast and a large pot of hot Assam tea, malty and rich, and smoothed with some milk and sweetener. When they are done, he insists that she sit back and relax while he takes care of the cleanup.
A good start to the day.
Then, it’s time to unwrap the presents. A true “Tea Princess” likes to give as well as receive. Bringing good teas to the notice of others and also teawares for steeping them is a true joy. She presents her gifts to her “Tea Prince” with much excitement and anticipation of his reaction. A gaiwan ordered online and some of the finest green teas to steep in it are silently waiting, well-cushioned with crinkled tissue paper, in their boxes wrapped in colorful paper and bows. She hands it to him to tear away that paper and bows and discover the carefully chosen gift, each future sip of that tea prepared in that steeping cup conveying her love.
Now, it’s her turn to unwrap. He sets the box before her, not too big, not too small, and covered with a paper in patterns of gold and red and green, with a profusion of ribbons and bows atop it. (Her “Tea Prince” likes to go all out with such things and does all the wrapping himself just to make it more personal.) The card with it reads: “To my ‘Tea Princess’ who stimulates and soothes just as the tea does.” Should she tear into it or take care and preserve each bit of ribbon, each square inch of paper? She opts to go for it, wresting the box free of its bonds and opening to see the brilliant red tissue paper that she then peels away carefully. What could await her? What lies nested so snug in that tissue paper nest? One more layer and… there it is! A bone china beauty! A 6-cup teapot in pure sparkling white with real, hand-applied sterling trim. The perfect vessel for steeping and serving tea at her next gathering of friends and family.
Wedgwood Sterling Teapot
Needless to say, this “Tea Princess” and her “Tea Prince” spent the rest of the day happily ever after!
~ The End ~
Here’s wishing all you tea princesses and princes a splendid holiday season.
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