“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11

How to Celebrate with a Simple Birthday Tea Party

My friends and family know I’m a devoted fan of a good cup of hot tea, and a lover of a tea party. For the past two years I’ve invited a few close friends and family in for a tea party on my birthday, and I’m going to share how to celebrate with a simple birthday tea party.

Why a Birthday Tea Party?

When my grandchildren all lived in the area, I loved having impromptu little tea parties with them. They each chose a cup and saucer from my collection and I used all my lovely dishes. I’m thankful for many sweet memories of teatime.

In an effort to honor those memories as well as cultivate deep relationships, I decided to invite close family and a few friends to a tea party. It was such fun the first year that I decided to repeat it this year.

Birthday Tea Party Decor

I’ve collected many lovely teapots, cups, and saucers over the year. Some have been given to me as gifts for birthdays, Christmas, and Mother’s Day. I treasure the items left to me by my Grandma Fossey. When we travel, I often find beautiful items as mementos: a cup and saucer at Epcot, a lovely teapot in Scotland, another from our son’s trip to England.

I make no attempt for anything to match, but bring out all my pretty things. I think it’s lovely, don’t you?

Birthday Tea Party Food

For refreshments, I totally took the easy way out and purchased everything pre-made at Sam’s Club. It is absolutely possible to do a low-cost tea party, but I didn’t chose that route this time. I purchased hummus and chopped for a colorful nibbles.

A container of spinach artichoke dip and a tub of Naan bread dippers made a beautiful and tasty treat enjoyed by everyone.

Pinwheel wraps were made with whole grain wraps spread with either hummus or spinach artichoke dip, then layered with fresh spinach, rolled, wrapped in plastic wrap, and chilled. After chilling for a couple hours, I unwrapped and sliced into serving pieces, then secured with frilled toothpicks. These are also delicious with feta sprinkled in, but one of my guests is allergic.

In the background you see cheese and crackers (of course!) The addition of fruit to the platters adds color, beauty, and a touch of ladylike refinement.

A birthday party must have some sweets, and I may have gone a bit overboard. The pastries were in the freezer section of Sam’s, and that’s where I found the Salted Caramel Chocolates, too. The entire family was already slated to come over for Game Night the next evening, so I knew the sweets would be eaten either there or at Sunday night popcorn and candy time.

Birthday Tea Party Favors

Since I wanted a simple, intimate party, I kept the guest list small: my mom, sister, local daughter-in-love, and a few close friends. Word to the wise: don’t rely on Facebook Event invites! I realized at the last minute that one of my friends had likely not seen the invite, since she is rarely on Facebook and not overly familiar with it. I’ll use an alternate method for her next time.

All the invitees are women with whom I long to cultivate deep relationships. They encourage me and I long to encourage them. This party was ostensively for me–to celebrate my birthday–but in reality my goal was to celebrate them and what they mean to me. I wanted to treat them, pamper and encourage, and show how I value and treasure them.

It’s always fun to receive a little gift, so I found some packets of lovely blank note cards at Dollar Tree for each guest. These inexpensive, practical gifts looked festive wrapped in purple and pink tulle bows and placed on each plate.

It’s my hope you’ve enjoyed a recap of my Birthday Tea Party. I encourage you today to ponder how you might encourage your friends and build into those important relationships. Maybe a tea party isn’t your thing, so think outside the box! Or maybe you will hold a tea party! Either way, I’d love to hear how you plan to encourage and show love to your friends. Please share in the comments!

Below I share links to related posts you may enjoy, followed by links to some of my favorite hospitality and tea-related items. Enjoy!

Favorite Hospitality & Tea Resources

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