Family Bonding During a Monthly Tea Time
Though Tea Parties are hardly the rage in our fast-paced world, that doesn’t mean they don’t have value. When was the last time you had the chance to sit down with multiple generations of your family and just chatted, heard memories of days gone by, or spoke jokingly of ones you love who are no longer with you? Isn’t it time to do something about that?
Set a Recurring Date…
It doesn’t have to be monthly, though if there’s not too much time in between one party and the next, that can help keep the date in everyone’s memory. Maybe the Third Saturday at 10am is Tea Time. If possible have it at only one or two places, so that also is easy to remember, and rotate who brings the goodies, or make it potluck goodies. A nice set of dishes, china if possible, rounds out the details and preparation items.
What Next?
Make arrangements for anyone that may have difficulty getting to the party. In some cases, for those living in a place like a retirement center, it may be best to arrange with the center for a private room there, they can invite good friends to join in the fun. Consider setting a theme for that gathering … June could be all about vacation memories, July about patriotic stuff … what happened with family still at home while a member served our country … A theme makes it easy for everyone to get the talking started.
If everyone is agreeable, arrange for the party to be recorded. The memories will be cherishable for all the family long after some family members are gone and unable to recount them again. They can also be shared at other family gatherings such as reunions, weddings, and more.
Options
You may find that once every two or three months works better if your family is widely dispersed … or you might hold it in lots of locations at the same time and facetime the event. The idea here is to get a group together to talk about memories … happy and sad … recent and long ago … beautiful and tragic, all of them shared, remembered, and re-lived.
If you don’t have family, then do it with your adopted family – all those friends and loved ones you think of as family. If you don’t have any family memories to share, then share the events of your life … your stories, and see them come to life again as you chat with the people who have loved and supported you … and you do the same as you hear their stories. In the grander scheme, we’re all connected and family.
When it comes to what you serve, provide options. Not just in the treats, but in the drinks. Look for some fun green teas as well as black ones, bring in some hot chocolate or juice for those who prefer it. Even in such small groups, there is likely to be a diversity of tastes. But don’t make it so much about what drinks and nibbles are provided, concentrate on the love, the history, and the joy.