My mom gave me this beautiful Christmas teapot last year. FORTUNATELY it’s too big for tea for one person.
I haven’t researched this, but while I was feeling discord and weariness instead of peace and joy I started thinking about what the Bible says about joy, peace and hospitality. We’re not commanded to feel joy and peace. Instead, we’re told all the reasons we are recipients of joy and peace. They’re privileges of our salvation and hope in Christ, not items on a feelings to-do list. We’re even encouraged to consider suffering a joy in light of what awaits. I don’t totally get how suffering sleep deprivation counts as joy, but that’s not the point.
We ARE told to practice hospitality. Not to be perfect hosts, not do it right all the time, but to practice. I feel like a mess all the time lately, but I can PRACTICE hospitality. Especially at tea time, with my teapot for two (or more)!
Tea time has pretty much been the one calming element of our Christmas advent season. I’ve shared a pot with friends, neighbors, Chris, Isaac and Eloise (she likes red bush tea, recommended by a South African family friend for baby tummy troubles). Isaac’s cold was benefited from peppermint tea with lemon and honey. A friend’s hectic day was soothed (or at least caffeinated) by a pot of earl gray. Another friend and I sat in front of the fire with white chocolate peppermint red tea while the kiddos wreaked havoc upstairs.
We’ve been waylaid in hosting tea time because of the frequent seasonal illnesses in our house (spoiler alert: we might have the flu! Or maybe a sinus infection!). Quaran-tea time!
Hospitality challenge: I want to continue sharing tea time with friends. In case we’re sick from now until the new year, I already have a mid-January sharing-sized tea pot in mind!
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