One of the Christmas traditions for the family I started some years ago was taking my daughters, grand-daughters, daughter-in-law, step-granddaughter, grandson’s significant other, and my daughters’ more-or-less adopted sister out to High Tea on Christmas Eve.

It’s become a high point of the holiday season for me and some of the other ladies, giving us a chance to dress nicely and enjoy tea and dainty food as well as adult female conversation for a few hours in the midst of some of the busiest days of our lives.

Apparently we’re not alone in enjoying a Christmas Eve High Tea. For the past few years I’ve had to make the reservation well in advance to ensure we could get a time on the 24^th. This year I signed up in September, almost as soon as the service made those dates available. I’ll do the same this coming year to ensure the tradition continues.

I’m not actually much a tea drinker – coffee is my preferred tipple – but I do like sampling the variety of interesting teas they offer. And I never thought I’d be enjoying a cucumber sandwich, but that was before I tried one and discovered they’re surprisingly delicious. As are the other dainty offerings – the ham and brie on a cracker, the salmon on cream cheese, and the mini-quiches. Plus a scone with either clotted cream or lemon curd and an assortment of cookies and mini-cakes. Most of the crew prefers the lemon curd on their scones, but I’m for clotted cream all the way.

The plates of goodies don’t look like they’d add up to a meal, but we’ve all noted that we’re feeling pretty full by the time we finish. It’s a lovely way to have a lunch on Christmas eve.