Look at those handsome boys. They are my loves. One of the worst parts of this Covid virus is that we lost a lot of time with these boys. Since the day Liam was born 11 years ago and then Jaxson came along a few years later, there have been very few times when we have not had them at our house weekly. In some ways, they have grown up here knowing that they could come and go just as if it were their own home. That is still true except for when the virus came and took over our lives. We miss the boys, the conversations, snuggles, hugs, and kisses freely given and received. Game time, book time, tv time, and most especially tea time. Christmas was no exception. We normally would have gone to Boston to the Taj hotel to the Teddy Bear Tea or we would have gone to the Wenham Tea House to their Children’s Tea. Perhaps now that they are older we would have just gone to tea at the Tea House on our own. So when the Christmas season was upon us I knew that we would have to come up with a plan for tea. How could we do it, keep it safe but still make it so special that hopefully, it will stay in their memory bank for years to come…I measured my dining room table, and wide-open it would be 8 feet. So the planning began.
I wanted it to be special. Fancy, just like as it would have been had we gone to either the Tea shop in Boston or here in Wenham. They are special, Christmas is special so I would set the table special for them. They handle fancy china easily. They have had years of experience. And I must say they love all those fancy plates and glasses. So that was the first thing I set an elegant table for them and for us. Next, masks were required unless eating. We would be at least 6 feet apart while having our tea. I wondered when I sent them invitations in the mail if they would want to come. Perhaps they were over tea parties by now. I think not, when they received the invitations it was a resounding yes and so we set a date for December 21, at 3:30 pm. The perfect hour for tea and just close enough to Christmas to be very festive. Papa would join us although tea and tea parties are not his favorite things, the boys are. So he joined us at the table.
On Tea Party day the boys arrived in a flurry rushing through the door full of excitement. What a joy it was to see them and know that they could spend a few hours with us. Our own time together which had been sorely missing for so many months. The house was full of little voices again each begging time to tell us about what was happening. Then, they wanted to know if the tea was ready and when they saw the dining room table their eyes lit up. It was starting to really feel like Christmas.
The boys helped carry in the cupcakes and brownies. I carried in the hot tea. They were quite excited about the candles being lit on the table. They knew where to sit because everyone had a place seating tree. It was festive. The Christmas spirit finally arrived for me and Papa. It was only missing for a while until these guys show up once again. We have missed them on a regular basis this year. As I was pouring the tea from the teapot (no tea bags on this day) I came to Papa he said “no tea for me, I’ll have milk” both boys, at the same time sounded a chorus of, “Papa you can’t have milk at a tea party you have to have tea” and so it was that Papa enjoyed a cup of tea with his brownie. I laughed from my belly for the first time in months and it felt so good. The boys were still in charge. They knew how to make their own tea. They like sugar cubes and tongs and I was happy to see that they were down from about 15 cubes per cup, to a nice 4 or 5. Much better and they also do like cream. Everything was perfect. I told them I wished we could have gone to a tea house this year and they decided that this was “much better Nana” Be still my heart. They are still my boys.
After tea the boys played a game of Monopoly with Papa. It was fun to watch them enjoying each other again and masks were not a problem. Those boys are so used to wearing them they never fuss when it’s time to put them on. It was also nice to see that Jaxson is catching up on his game playing and is now a pretty good player in his own right. The sun was going down and soon their Mom would be there to pick them up, our time together was coming to an end.
Before they left each boy went and picked an ornament from our tree to take home and put on their own tree (this year they both had a tree in their bedrooms) Jaxson picked the snowman. I’m not sure who won the game but I don’t think that really mattered. They just had a good time and it made us feel good that they still felt at home here.
At the end of the day...it was different but then so many things have changed over this year. I have found that some of the changes might be worth keeping going forward. How lovely would it be if Christmas tea at Nana and Papa’s could become a tradition for us? As they grow I’m realizing that we have to make new traditions that keep us connected but that also fit with their growing up and making new friends and leaving the nest as all kids must. This year taught me that yes we will see them less going forward because life moves on for them but I also know that Nana and Papa time can be special also. I’m going to keep working on that and I really think this is a great place to start. After all, they learned to drink tea here at this house when they were babies and I think it is still one of their favorite things to do here. Every time they come, they ask for a cup of tea…and of course, you can’t have tea without a treat. And when you have tea and treats, conversations and game time is usually part of the deal also. It truly was a blessing to have them here and it made this Christmas so special when so many other special times were let go of. These boys are the love of our lives and we hope that no matter what is happening in any given year that they always know tea time is always available here. We have an open door policy for tea and thee. I hope they continue to come and sit a spell and tell me of their great adventures. How lucky I will be.
We were both grateful and feeling blessed after spending tea time with the boys…Are you making new traditions this year that you would like to keep going forward?
