Do you have a princess? Me too. In fact, we have nine little princesses–so far. Frankly, I’m really not the sit-down and play pretend-tea-kinda-grandma. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. It’s just not me. However, I like to bring my girls into my world.
So we began to have tea parties.
The truth is, it all started as a photo-op.
We had, at the time, four little girls under the age of five. First, we let them play dress-up. They were allowed to put on grandma’s make-up. Some of the girls need help, anyone over three did it all my themselves. The staging for this event was the most fun. That’s why, still today, the prelude to a tea-party is dress-up.
The little girls all gathered around the table with scribbled lipstick all over their faces. Each one donned a big beautiful ladies’ hat, that kept falling over one eye. Then, they sat down to a beautiful table with my tea set.
Watching them sip their tea and admire the pretty table, was as much fun for me, as dress up was for them. I put a small, fragrant bouquet of flowers on the table for our centerpiece.
Then, the magic started.
I dropped a ball of blooming tea into a clear pot. They all leaned in to see what would happen. Within minutes, the ball burst open, and a flower-graced our teapot.
Luckily, my daughter is a photographer. She stayed in the background and captured the wonder in their eyes peering over the china cups. Those memories faded all too quickly.
As I confessed, it was a photo-op. Nevertheless, my princesses saw it as a tradition.
Six years later, these girls are just about to go into their teens. And, as you might have guessed we’ve added a few more faces.
Now, every time a princess comes to visit. She asks for a tea-party.
If you have a princess, your special little girl who loves to dress up and feel pretty. There’s nothing better than a tea party. As the girls have grown, they still love to dress up, however, they have begun to enjoy setting the table and making it beautiful just as much.
One more thing I might add, that has contributed to the fun of it all for us.
I give them silly names. I introduce myself as Miss Daisy, then introduce our guests. We have entertained Mrs. Nezbit, Mrs. Magillicutti, and Miss Dandelion. They stick their pinky in the air and do their best Brittish impression. We talk of fairies that have visited our flower gardens, and how the roses are doing.
The girls travel to another world of imagination, one filled with beautiful china, perfect table manners, long dresses and lavish hats.
What better gift to give a little lady, who longs to be a princess in a McDonald’s world?
