Want to make every day special for your older loved one and for you? Well start enjoying an afternoon tea time and make it a time to look forward to each day.
So many of our lives are filled with work, hurried meals, appointments to keep and chores to get done that we don’t stop and just relax a bit. Setting aside a little time each afternoon to just sip on some tea from a pretty pot and nibble on a cookie or snack can start a tradition of relaxation and fine conversations.
Tea Time Tradition
Taking a few minutes each day to pamper your loved one and yourself is a way to say “You are important and so am I.” So turn off the television, your phone and put on some soft music. Make a good pot of tea and serve it in your best china cups. Bring out a cookie or two or perhaps make a sandwich and cut it into triangles. It can be as simple as just tea or if your loved one has a sweet tooth perhaps some hot chocolate.
I started a tea time at home when my three children were young. I was homeschooling them and it seemed around three o’clock each day they all got a bit bored. I started making a pot of hot chocolate in my prettiest tea pot. I served it with a few cookies or some biscotti and we sat at the dining room table or just around the living room coffee table. We had some great times while sipping our hot drinks. The best thing was the laughing and talking we did. I hope my now grown kiddos remember our tea times.
Tea Time for Seniors
Many of our older loved ones have lost their appetites and tea time is a way to get a few more calories into their diets. Our sweet taste buds stay vibrant long after the rest have dulled so serving some sweet fruit or even a little toast with jam will surely be a treat.
It’s also a way to keep them hydrated if you choose a decaffeinated tea or even decaf coffee. You may want to include a glass of ice water with a little lemon or lime. The longer you chat, the more they’re likely to drink. Even your proud gruff father will enjoy tea time if you talk about one of his favorite past times. I can always get my daddy to talk sports — he always enjoys that.
Take your tea time to just relax and perhaps talk to your mom or dad about when they were growing up. Talking about the ‘good old days’ will make them remember cherished memories. You might learn a few things you didn’t know about your kin! Ask them about their first crush or their first date or their first car.
Make Tea Time Special
Where you have your tea can make it really special. If the weather allows try tea on the porch or in the back yard. If you’re inside sit by a window. My mama loves to sit by windows and watch the birds and the big fat white rabbit that visits her yard.
Once in a while invite one of your parents’ good friends over to take tea or a special child in your parents’ life. My mama used to make tea time for my youngest son. It made him feel very special. Only his tea was hot chocolate with lots of cream.
Memories are not made in days but in moments. Taking time for tea is giving yourself the time to make some special ones with people you love. I really think the Brits had a great idea when they invented tea time. Or was it the Chinese? I don’t think either will mind if we borrow it.
