Hosting a Christmas Tea Party: Fun Ideas, Tasty Treats & Holiday Traditions

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If you are looking for ideas to host an afternoon Christmas tea party for family and friends, but aren’t sure where to start, don’t worry! I’ll cover everything you need to know to throw a gorgeous afternoon tea party this holiday season. 

There are so many options for holiday entertaining during the Christmas season. One of our favorites is a Christmas movie night. And if you need a little more inspiration, check out these Christmas party ideas for families.

What is a Christmas Tea Party & Where did it Come From? 

A Christmas Tea Party is quite literally what it sounds like – an afternoon filled with tea, pastries, finger sandwiches and amazing company. Think of it as a fancy brunch. It’s a great way to spend time with friends and family during the Christmas time. 

While the traditional afternoon tea originated in Europe in the 19th century it quickly became a holiday favorite amongst the wealthy in the US. In the 1800s, Christmas used to be celebrated with wild nights of drinking, gambling, and partying in the streets.

This changed around the 1830s as the temperance movement took hold. It started its mission to replace the drunken holiday with something that families could enjoy together, without the need for alcohol.

This replacement was Christmas tea! As more afternoon Christmas tea parties were held they gained popularity in England. And they eventually spread to the US, creating the tradition that many still participate in today. 

When to Have Your Christmas Tea 

When scheduling a time for your Christmas tea, you have two options – afternoon tea or high tea. Afternoon tea is self-explanatory but high tea refers to an evening tea party.

So, if you have plans for Christmas night and wish to host a tea party the afternoon option will be great for you. However, if you may be traveling back home in the afternoon or have other plans, then an evening high tea party would be a better option. 

Keep in mind that afternoon tea is usually accompanied by scones, small desserts, and tea sandwiches. And high tea is served with a heartier dinner of meats, cheeses, and cakes. 

What activities do you do at a Christmas tea party? 

While Christmas tea is a fancy event based on proper etiquette, there are still many activities you can enjoy at the gathering. A white elephant gift exchange is a fun option for everyone that includes a game and gifts! 

To play ask everyone to bring a present. Then you’ll draw numbers out of a hat (or a teacup), and choose presents in the order of your numbers. But the fun part is you have the option to steal presents!

This game has many iterations so choose one that works for your family. You could also have your guests participate in a cookie decorating contest, because what goes better with tea than cookies? 

How to Host an Unforgettable Afternoon Christmas Tea Party 

If you want to know how to host an amazing Christmas afternoon tea party, learn when to send invites, and where to host your event then you’re reading the right post! We’ll discuss all the planning details below.

When to Send Out invites 

Since this is a Christmas affair and people can be quite busy around the holidays, it’s courteous to send invitations out at minimum 3 weeks before your party. But for formal occasions, you can send them out as early as 8 weeks prior.

This ensures that everyone is given proper time to plan for and make arrangements to attend the gathering. It’s also essential if you and your family live in different places, and plan to get together for the holidays. 

Where to Host a Christmas Tea? 

There are several options for locations to host your Christmas tea. A simple choice is to do it at your house by setting up in a large room for dining. And if you live in a place where the weather is nice and temperate, you can set up a long table and decorations in your backyard.

If you want to go the extra mile you can you can rent out a dining hall or other venue that allows for holiday parties. Look for a location that’s setup with Christmas decorations for the holidays and all you’ll need to do is set up your festive gathering.

Picking Out the Perfect Christmas Tea Party Décor & Theme Ideas 

When it comes to themes for an afternoon tea party you want to keep it elegant and classy. Traditionally this is an affair based on proper etiquette and it’s quite affluent in its traditional sense.

Even still, you want to incorporate a festive holiday theme into your party and it’s the little details that will make the event memorable. Because the point is being able to enjoy a classical Christmas atmosphere while you’re together.

The Nutcracker 

A Nutcracker Christmas tea theme is a good choice because you can include the music from the ballet in the background while you eat and drink with your family.

This gives an air of artistry to your tea time. And you can decorate the tables and venue with nutcrackers, which the kids will enjoy as well! You’ll want to use a color palette of reds, greens, and golds for this theme.

White Christmas 

What is more elegant than an all-white theme at your tea time? And a white Christmas tea party is a nice take on the snowy Christmases we see in movies.

For this theme, you can use all white decorations, maybe adding in some blues and silvers. You can plan your plating and finger foods to match this theme as well.

Holly Jolly 

A more traditional Christmas theme can be centered around holly. Holly berries are a popular symbol for Christmas and make beautiful decorations for the tables and centerpieces.

You can use the natural berry as long as no one attempts to eat it. Consuming the fresh berry will cause an upset stomach due to its mild toxicity. If you have younger children or pets, plan to use fake holly decorations.

For the tablecloths and other décor, you can use classical red and green, with maybe a touch of gold or silver to bring out the true Christmas colors.

Rudolph/Reindeer

A theme that is a little more fun, yet still can be made chic, is a reindeer theme. For this, you can find reindeer décor in most retail stores throughout the holidays. Look for napkins, napkin rings, tablecloths, and even candle holders.

You can use a color palette of browns, whites, and reds for tablecloths and other décor.

For this theme you can also add some festive touches onto some of your desserts by decorating them to look like reindeer. The kids will enjoy them and you will feel as though you have a unique theme for your Christmas tea.           

Planning Your Christmas Tea Menu

A Christmas tea menu may seem to be pretty standard, but rest assured there are plenty of options and variety you can add to the menu you choose. A classic afternoon tea menu should consist of 3 different bite-sized foods, finger sandwiches, pastries and scones, and sweets.

This gives party attendees plenty of options that will pair nicely with the teas that will be on your menu.

Choosing What Tea to Offer 

The tea options may seem overwhelming but if you narrow the options down to afternoon-specific teas, it becomes more manageable. The most popular afternoon tea choices include black teas, such as English or Earl Grey, rose teas, chamomile, orange, mint or loose leaf tea.

To make a holiday-specific selection you can include a holiday spiced tea, which is a mixture of black tea, cinnamon sticks, allspice, cloves, oranges, apples, and star anise.

To make sure you don’t steep your tea too long, everyone should add their tea, water, and ingredient spices in their own tea cups and wait for this delicious beverage to come together. 

Finger Sandwiches & Hors d’oeuvres 

Afternoon tea consists of a 3-tier rack of finger foods, with one of those tiers containing sandwiches and other savoury snacks. The sandwiches are usually light finger sandwiches with ingredients like cucumber, salmon, cream cheese, egg salad, or chicken salad.

Depending on your group, you can serve things like peanut butter and jelly or ham and cheese. Or add in savory or unique flavors like goat cheeses, fig, or balsamic glazes.

If you don’t like traditional sandwiches, you could also include open-faced sandwiches with avocado. And use cookie cutters to create Christmas trees or reindeer shapes for a festive but traditional recipe feel.

The BEST Christmas Appetizer Ideas:

• The BEST Classic Cheese Ball Recipe
• Neiman Marcus Dip (Million Dollar Dip)
• Little Debbie Christmas Tree Dip
• Reindeer Snack Mix
• Christmas Crunch Mix

Baked Goods (Muffins, Pastries & Spreads)

Another layer on the 3-tier rack for tea are pastries. These can vary from scones, muffins, pastries, and toasts with several different jams, marmalades, preserves or lemon curd.

Or add holiday-specific flavors such as cranberry orange, apple and cinnamon, cranberry pecan, and white chocolate with cranberry. And jams made from apples, cranberries, and orange marmalades are great additions to your spread.

Here are some of my favorite baked goods recipes:

• Cranberry Orange Cake
• Raspberry Twists
• Monkey Bread with Pecans
• Raspberry Cream Cheese Cruffins
• Blueberry Boy Bait {AKA Blueberry Coffee Cake}
• Hawaiian Banana Bread

Sweet Treats (Petit Fours, Cookies & Fudge)

Arguably one of the best parts of a Christmas tea party would be the sweets! You can include cookies, brownie bites, tarts, fudge, petit fours, macarons, mini cupcakes or any other small sweets that will fit into your tea style and flavors.

Try to incorporate holiday flavors such as chocolate and peppermint, chocolate orange, cinnamon apple, and more. A few examples include cranberry tarts, chocolate macarons, shortbread cookies and blackberry cheesecake bites.

Or add a variety of your favorite festive holiday desserts like gingerbread cookies, Christmas cake, decorated sugar cookies and pound cake.

Amazing Christmas Treat Ideas:

• Peppermint Cake Balls
• Gingerbread Cake Pops
• Crockpot Christmas Crack
• Cornflake Wreaths {No Bake}
• Candy Cane Pie
• Chocolate Covered Cookie Dough Bites

If You’ve Never Hosted a Christmas Tea Party It’s a Fun Holiday Tradition to Start

A Christmas Tea party is a great excuse to put on your best clothes, let everyone feel classy, and get together with your family for the holiday season. Starting this holiday tradition will be something you and your family will look forward to all year long. 

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