Christmas Tea Party Ideas

December 4, 2024

Aimee

Hospitality tips and special recipes for hosting a festive Christmas tea party and creating a cozy memory with friends.

Ever since becoming a mother, I’ve approached family memory making with intention. And now that my youngest is almost thirteen, childhood is fleeting fast.

I know that good memories can be like Teflon – slippery – while bad memories stick around like Velcro. This neuroscience observation from psychologist Rick Hansen is precisely why I go out of my way to create special memories with my children that will last into adulthood and beyond.

This Christmas tea party was one such creation. Clara and I invited over a handful of our friends, baked up our favourite holiday treats and served them for a festive and cozy afternoon tea. Mission accomplished? I believe so.

I’m sharing all the tea party details and recipes with you in this post. I hope you’ll be inspired to put the kettle on for friends this holiday season.

Christmas Tea Party Ideas

In all my years of creating holiday magic in the home, I’ve never hosted a tea party at Christmastime. Sure there have been springtime tea parties to celebrate a baby, and royal tea parties to celebrate a wedding, but nothing in winter.

It was so fun to dream up this Christmas-themed menu and tablescape! Cookie swaps will hold my heart, and holiday brunch is a delight, but the afternoon tea party might be my new favourite December event.

We gathered in afternoon, while the low winter light slanted through the windows. By the time the last cup of tea was poured, it was dark outside, and the table was bathed in candlelight. So very cozy and warm.

The Tea Party Setting

In his book, The Art of Making Memories, author Meik Wiking instructs us to make an occasion multisensory if we want to remember it well. After all, what are memories but an aroma or flavour or musical tune that brings us back to a place or evokes a feeling.

I kept Meik’s advice in mind when planning this tea party. The more senses used around the tea table, the more vividly we’d be able to recall the memory years from now.

I lit candles on the table for ambiance, and played holiday tunes on the Sonos (loving East Coast crooner Tim Baker’s Full Rainbow of Light this season), because every happy memory deserves a soundtrack.

I set the table with mismatched vintage dishes and linens, both thrifted and from my own collection: fine bone china, soft cotton napkins, and tiny silver spoons. A mini tree from the yard was the simple centerpiece, offering all-natural pine scent to the room.

In the teapots we steeped a bold and citrusy Bergamot Black Tea for the ladies, and Candy Cane Lane from Celestial Seasonings for the kiddos — a nostalgic flavour if there ever was one! I fondly remember this tea from my own childhood.

The Tea Party Menu

We’ve already established that I aspire to having a simple, homemade Christmas. Well, this menu wasn’t entirely simple, but it was nearly all homemade!

Savoury:

‘Christmas Tree’ Sandwiches – open face on white bread with cream cheese, cucumber, and dill.
Smoked salmon & cream cheese finger sandwiches & canapés, gherkins
Jam finger sandwiches
Teeny oranges, grapes

Scones:

Vanilla Cream Scones – made ahead, frozen, then reheated
Homemade Lemon Curd – from Martha’s Baking Handbook
Mini jam jars

Sweets:

Profiteroles – I bought these, plain, from the freezer section of my grocery store, and dipped them in melted dark chocolate.
Mini Pavlova nests with whipped cream and fresh raspberries. These tiny bite-sized meringues were piped into little nests, about 1 1/2 inches across. I made these in advance and froze them.
Rolled Gingerbread snowflakes. We always have a stash in the freezer!
Shortbread of all sorts: Jam Thumbprints, Snowballs, etc.

I really, really paired down this menu, but believe me, I wanted to add a Yule Log, these lovely Christmas Stollen Madeleines, not to mention these fabulous salted caramels!

In the end, we had plenty of food. I suggest you could use any holiday treat that is special and sentimental to you. Plan for 3-4 sandwiches, 2 scones and 4-5 sweets per person.

Find more festive recipes in my 12 Days of Holiday Baking Projects. And if you have any questions about the food or the tea party, ask me in the comments. I’m happy to help.

The Connections around the Table

Perhaps the most important element for creating a special memory is the human connections we make in the moment. The conversations exchanged and the laughs shared bring true and lasting meaning to a memorable gathering.

You can set the prettiest table and bake the most exquisite treats, but it is the act of sharing this space with loved ones that set the moment apart.

Hospitality will always be my love language.