Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone has a very merry Christmas!

(From pinterest) 

A Williamsburg Christmas

Today I've set up a table near my biggest tree, where we can sit and enjoy a cup of tea and a treat in front of a blazing fire. 

 

 

I'm serving Harney and Son's Holiday Tea (one of my favorites this time of year) in my Lenox Winter Greeting's teapot. 

 

I'm also using an assortment of Christmas teacups today,

 

 

Christmas Rose by Rosina:

 

 



 Queen's Yuletide,

 

and Royal Albert's Poinsettia.

 

I enjoy the Holiday blend with both cream and sugar.

 

 

I found this small holly leaves and berries set at a thrift store for $3.00 each.  The set is made in Japan and is quite pretty with gold along the top rim and thicker gold on the handles. 

 

Nothing says Christmas more than iced cookies in Christmas shapes on a Santa plate!  These are shortbread cookies I made for a neighborhood cookie exchange last Friday.

 

 



The plate is Fitz and Floyd.  I always think it is a shame to use it as a plate, it is so pretty with Santa holding a bounty of fruit!

 

(one of my Christmas music boxes is in the background in case you were wondering.  This music box has a nativity theme).

 





 

Here are a couple of closeups of the tree and its angel topper:

 

 

 



 

 

About my theme:







 

The decorations in my Great Room are modeled after Colonial Williamsburg, where I lived for four years at my alma mater, the College of William and Mary.  My decorations are full of magnolias and fruit--oranges with cloves, lemons, pears, apples, and pineapples all adorn the tree.  Colonial Williamsburg is beautiful this time of year with wreaths and boughs with fruits, pinecones, and other natural decorations.  Even though my room is inspired by those lovely decorations, my tree is not true to the times--there would have been no Christmas trees in colonial Virginia.  Even the pretty fruit decorations in Colonial Williamsburg aren't true to the times--citrus fruits were a very expensive luxury and would not have been used as a decoration outside the home.  I thought I wound share a couple of pictures I took in Williamsburg in 2012 to give you some idea of my inspiration:

 

 

This week I'm joining Rose Chintz Cottage for an Old Fashioned Christmas.

 

 

As well as these tea parties:

 

Tea Cup Tuesday ~ http://www.marthasfavorites.com/
Tuesday Cuppa Tea~ http://www.antiquesandteacups.info/

Bernideen's Friends Sharing Tea

 

 

 

The holly and the ivy,
When they are both full grown
Of all the trees that are in the wood
The holly bears the crown
O the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing of the choir

 

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Sugar and Spice

Well, better late than never on finishing up my Kitchen posts. 

 

 

This is an open display cabinet in my kitchen which is the real home of the Christmas sweets teapot and the Spode Christmas tree teacup.  there is a shelf of gingerbread houses, underneath some assorted gingerbread people.  The bottom shelf has snowmen with a sweet tooth.

 

 

And even more gingerbread people.  Have I mentioned I have a hard time saying no to them?  I really liked how the ones in the picture below have glitter standing in for sanding sugar.  The basket in the background is a basket I won with all sorts of different sauces, sweet and not, and some ornaments.

 



 

Below is a new acquisition, a pitcher with a gingerbread girl on the front.  I found it at a local thrift store for $3, perfect! 

 

 

I bought this topiary at a local flower shop at an after Christmas sale a couple of years ago.  I'm really lucky, there are three different stores near where I live that transform into Winter wonderlands at Christmas time, with everything for sale, of course.

 

I promised the recipe for the pebbernodders from my tea party post last Monday, so here we go!  These cookies are a more adult spice cookie.

 

 

Pebbernodders

 

 

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp clove

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups butter, softened

3 eggs

2 tsp grated lemon peel

 

1.  Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves in a medium bowl, mixed well.

 

2.  Beat sugar and butter in a large bowl until creamy.  Add eggs and lemon peel; beat until well blended.  Gradually add dry ingredients; mix until just blended.

 

3.  Put parchment paper on cookie sheets.  Put cookies on the sheet by the spoonful about 1 inch apart.  If the batter seems too sticky, but it in the fridge or the freezer until more firm (15 minutes or so).

 

4.  Preheat oven to 375.  Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned.  Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.  







Herbal teas and sweet dreams

While visions of sugar plums danced in their heads

This week's tea is extra sweet--as is my confections tree which is the inspiration for this tea.  This tree is set up in the breakfast nook area of my kitchen in my big picture window.  My kitchen has a sweets theme, down to the snowflake shaped candies hanging in the windows on either side of the tree.   

Candies, cookies, cupcakes, and other goodies cover the tree, with a large  star-like snowflake cookie serving as the tree topper.   Here are a few of my favorite ornaments:

(A gingerbread girl and boy in teacups!  Just perfect.)

Anyone for a cup of tea?   

My Christmas Sweets teapot matches Santa's candy cane striped coat and sleigh!  Today's teacup is the classic Christmas tree pattern by Spode. 

I have the perfect tea to serve in the Christmas Sweets teapot--Celestial Seasonings Gingerbread Spice!

 (See one of my stuffed Gingerbread men looking on?  He definitely approves!)

I have a hard time walking past stuffed gingerbread men (and women) during this time of year...they are so addicting!  I'll share a picture of some of the rest of my gingerbread decorations later this week. 

I thought spiced cookies would be a perfect match to a spiced tea.  These cookies are pebbernodders, with all sorts of spices mixed in.  I made these for a holiday party at work and I'll share the recipe later this week. 







Here is one more picture of the tree, before I say goodnight:

The children were nestled, all snug in their beds,

which sounds like a good idea to me!  Goodnight!

I'm joining these tea parties this week:

Tea Time Tuesday at Rose Chintz Cottage

Tea Cup Tuesday ~ http://www.marthasfavorites.com/
Tuesday Cuppa Tea~ http://www.antiquesandteacups.info/

Bernideen's Friends Sharing Tea

Having tea in Dicken's Village

The next (and last bit) of my tea related décor is, appropriately enough, on my tea cart.

There is also a Christmas teapot that goes on the trivet on the cart, but I will save that for another day. 

I have two Christmas tea houses, the Canton tea house (I love the Asian inspired portico complete with handing lanterns on the English cottage!):

 

and the English tea room:

 

 

The patroness of the English tea room also has a portable cart so she can take tea out about the town.  If you look really closely, written on the side of the cart says "You are cordially invited to attend a Tea in the Afternoon in the custom of Anna, 7th Duchess of Bedford."  Such great little touches!  



Santa enjoys a good cuppa

The next tea related decoration I will share is also in my foyer/dining room area.

 

 

 

This Santa enjoys music (he has a music box, by the way) and cups of hot tea.  Here is a closer look at his teapot:

 

 

Mistletoe!  This is a Portmeirion teapot ornament, and was a perfect size to go with Santa.

 

Let's take a step back, so you can see where Santa is:

 

 

Santa is underneath my hall console, which is the first thing a guest sees when they enter my house.  Santa offering tea is a perfect greeter!  Here is a better look at the top of the table as well, which has my nativity scene and one of my Christmas music boxes.

 

 





Carrie's Tea Room and a visit to Christmas Town

As I mentioned earlier this week, I have a couple of places where "tea" themed decorations have crept in.  One of those places is in my Christmas Village.

My mom bought this village for me at Dollar Tree, oh, probably ten years ago when I was still in college.  I love Christmas decorations and I was really excited to get this little village.  I displayed it under a Christmas bush (a small Christmas tree that was more squat than tree-like, thus the bush moniker) on the kitchen table in my apartment, after I propped the bush up with a box, of course.  The village also traveled with me to law school, where it was placed in the large windowsill in my apartment.  Now I get to enjoy it in my newest home...and share it with you!   

Here is our next stop, Christmas town, via the Virginia Railway.  The Hotel is right next to the station, if you would like to drop off your overnight bag first? 

Santa is already in town, and some locals are putting the finishing touches on the decorations before tonight's big tree lighting!

On the other side of the fire station is Carrie's Tea Rooms, my little piece of tea heaven. Tea parties are every Monday, but you can stop by for a cup of tea and a snack any day of the week!   

Oh, look out for the horse and carriage!  The town is giving out free rides at tonight's party.

There is a little ice rink on the lawn in front of the church if you want to go and watch the skaters, or we could even try it out ourselves.  I have never mastered it, but I can give it another try!  The Christmas tree is right by the rink, ready for everyone in town to bring an ornament to decorate it. 

Before I sign off for the night, let's take a quick step back.  Here is a picture of the entire alcove in my front entry/dining room:

This china cabinet belonged to my grandmother.  I have been using it to store my music box collection since I was a child.  At one point it even had my first set of dishes, but now I have more music boxes to display, so they have taken over.