The season of Christmas provides a tremendous opportunity to extend biblical hospitality. This year why not host a Carols by Candlelight tea party? The following will give you a few suggestions.
Begin with prayer, then extend an invitation:
It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
Years of silence, now the Christ child was here.
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,
“Glory to God in the highest,” their voices did ring.
Angels from the Realms of Glory
Praising God, they told, ‘His story.’
It was a Silent Night, a holy night,
Shepherds go to Bethlehem to see the Light.
Away in a Manger, baby Jesus lay,
No room at the inn, God’s Son asleep in the hay.
Men known as We Three Kings of Orient Are
Fell down, worshiped, guided only by the star,
O Come, All Ye Faithful and worship the King
On December 1st at 7 PM, the bells will ring.
A cup of Christmas tea at Carols by Candlelight
We’ll share and sing Joy to the World! – What a delight!
written by Laura Leathers Copyright 2007
Menu: Provide the traditional tea sandwiches as well as several specifically for Christmas. Scones are a must for any tea party! Prepare scones with cranberries or use Andes Peppermint Crunch baking chips. Serve cider, wassail, or a few of the Christmas teas such as Home for the Holidays, Fireside, Christmas Eve, or White Christmas.
Worship: Gather your guests around the fireplace or the Christmas tree and have someone read the Christmas story. Ask your guests to join in a time of singing. Using your invitation as a guide, sing the first verse of each hymn listed. Don’t stop there; sing other traditional carols too. If possible, give each person a candle with a drip-catcher. Then one by one, as each guest lights a candle, have them share why Christmas is special to them or a blessing they received during the year.
Party Favors: Send your guests home with a package of homemade spiced tea, a variety of Christmas teabags in a beautiful organza bag, and include a tiny bar of chocolate or decorated sugar cubes. Another idea is to use scrapbooking paper which has been printed with musical notes or sheet music (or use old sheet music) and make a paper cone to hold these items. You could also purchase small Christmas Carols singing books. Over the years I have found these at the dollar stores. Every family could go home with a book.
Place the party favors in a beautifully decorated basket at your front door. When your guests depart, your simple gift will be a reminder of the time you shared together. Who knows? It may become an annual tradition!
About Laura Leathers
Laura is a wife, mother, and grandmother. She is the founder of Tea Time Treasures, a ministry promoting Biblical Hospitality (www.teatimetreasures.net). Currently she is employed as an administrative assistant within a detention center—ministry in the marketplace. Laura received her Women's Ministry Certificate Advanced Degree from New Orleans Theological Seminary. She is a graduate of Speak Up with Confidence Seminars (Basic and Advanced) and CLASS (Christian Leaders, Authors, and Speaker Services). Over the years she has served as a Bible teacher, conference speaker and a free-lance writer.
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