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Diane Gottsman | Leading Etiquette Expert | Modern Manners Authority

Leading Etiquette Expert and Modern Manners Authority Diane Gottsman’s official blog, with Business Etiquette, University Etiquette, Social Media Etiquette, Dining Etiquette and more.

Celebrating with a Mother’s Day Tea

07 May 2013 By: Diane Gottsman

A Mother's Day card, perfect for an afternoon tea!

A decorative card, perfect decoration for a Mother’s Day tea.

If you’ll be spending Mother’s Day with your mom this Sunday, sharing a cup of afternoon tea would be a wonderful way to enjoy the afternoon. Your menu can be as elaborate as homemade scones and petit fours, or as simple as tea and store bought sugar cookies. It’s the time together with someone you love that will be remembered and appreciated long after the tea pot has grown cold.

Consider your mom’s individual preference…would she love a relaxing hour with a bold cup of Earl Grey, light cucumber tea sandwiches, sweets, scones set on a beautiful tea table on the back porch? Or, would a cup of Chamomile and a lemon muffin, shared with her grandchildren running around the back yard be more of her taste? Any way you sip it, a Mother’s Day Tea is a lovely way to spend Mother’s Day for a few hours with someone you love. Here are my ideas to get you in the mood for a Mother’s Day Tea!

The Table:
A  cheerful spread is always welcome.  Using items you have around the house will make your tea feel extra special. Here is an example:

Special touches for afternoon tea via Southern Living

Image: Southern Living

This is one of my favorite tea pots:

I'll be serving Mother's Day tea up in this pretty tea pot...

I’ll be serving my mom tea in this pretty tea pot…

Do you have a tea pot that never comes out of the closet because it’s cracked or you’ve lost the lid? Turn it into a floral center piece for the table.

via Laughing with Angels

Image: Laughing with Angels

As a Mother’s Day gift from the kids, you may consider buying some pretty gift cards, and a few more for the tea table. Even if it’s just the two of you, you can write something special inside of the card and your mom can keep it in a book or on her dressing table to remember the day.

A little note card on my 2013 Mother's Day wish list.

A little note card on my 2013 Mother’s Day wish list.

via Southern Living

Image: Southern Living

Or, make a unique place card, garden inspired, that she can use in her own backyard.

The Tea Menu:
These cheerful scones will be on my baking “to do” list Mother’s Day morning, courtesy of sheknows.com: Strawberry Lemonade Scones.

A Fruity Drink Turned Into A Scone via SheKnows.com (link here)

A Fruity Drink Turned Into A Scone
Image: She Knows

I’m a fan of these delicious Gouda and Tomato Tea Sandwiches:

Gouda and Tomato Tea Sandwiches via Natasha's Kitchen (link here)

Image: Natasha’s Kitchen

And,  these cucumber and chive butter sandwiches, are refreshing and savory.

And finally, you can’t forget the tea! My mom’s favorite tea is Ginger Tea which has no tea in it at all. Here’s a tea tip, a tea without Camellia sinensis in it is called a Tisane. Ginger Tea is a soothing tea that is also good for you. I found this simple recipe at MarthaStewart.com but I also purchase Ginger Tea at my local Whole Foods.

Afternoon Tea Etiquette:
If you want to brush up on more afternoon tea etiquette tip, visit one of my past articles featuring William Hanson. He is always a wealth of information.

Happy Mother’s Day,

Signature

Diane Gottsman

Diane Gottsman is a national etiquette expert and modern manners professional, sought out industry leader, television personality, accomplished speaker, Huffington Post blogger, author, and the owner of The Protocol School of Texas, a company specializing in executive leadership and etiquette training. Diane is routinely quoted in national and international media including The New York Times, The BBC, CNN, Bloomberg Business Week, Kiplinger, Huffington Post Canada, U.S. News and World Report, and Forbes. She is the resident etiquette expert for two popular morning talk shows, SA Living and Good Day Austin. She has been seen on The TODAY Show, HLN Headline News, WGN Chicago, and CBS Sunday Morning. Her clients range from university students to Fortune 500 companies and her workshops cover topics ranging from tattoos in the workplace to technology at the dinner table and the proper use of social media.

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Diane Gottsman is a national etiquette expert, sought after industry leader, and owner of The Protocol School of Texas,
a company specializing in executive leadership and business etiquette training.

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