" CHRISTMAS ROSE TEATIME"

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas" ..Welcome to a carolling teatime ... ' Yes , I'm still singing ... Today, we will be humming  and listening to   "We Three Kings ",

 written by John Henry Hopkins(1857)

"We three kings of orient are

Bearing gifts we traverse afar.

Field and fountain, moor and mountain,

Following yonder star."

Who can resist a handcrafted star to symbolically glorify the message of of Christmas and the Christ Child. This is one which I purchased at the Frederickton Christmas Craft Fair. An elderly German lady  had patiently folded over two hundred of these wax paper treasures to sell. The walls  of my studio are mauve, I bought three in varying colours of purple. 

 It sets the tone for the Christmas window display, doesn't it !!!

I never tire of  Christmas stories and all the heartwarming tales. Luckily, I  found  a charming  Staffordshire tea set, called the Christmas Rose. If you care to blog along, it has a lovely little legend to tell. 

"The Legend of the Christmas Rose"

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem. There came three Wise men from the East bearing gifts of  gold, Myrrh and Frankincense. A little Shepherdess, watching from afar, wept because she had no gift to offer the Christ Child. As her tears fell to the ground, flowers sprang up, which the child gathered and hastened to bring to the infant.

In adoration, she knelt at the crib, so  Jesus could see the flowers and when his blessed little hands touched the flowers, a delicate pink appeared in the centre of each floret. So a flower that never blossomed before came into existence- the Christmas Rose. To this day, the Christmas Rose blooms more abundantly at Christmastime than any other season.

The Staffordshire company has beautifully decorated this tea set in vivid colours, unlike the actual  plant which  has only a delicate blush of light green and pink on it petals .. . still, it is a very eye catching set.  While living in Vancouver , B.C., I had a Christmas Rose  blooming in my garden during the wintry months... Thus, this pretty tea cup and saucer bears  a fond mid-winter memory and of course another favourite carol .....

" Lo how a rose 'e're blooming from tender stem has sprung ".

 I'm so  relieved that you're  enjoying  the sing song. ( Ha Ha)

Honestly,  I won't ask anyone to go solo!!!

Another  variation of my Christmas stars is this rich colour combination. Do you see how the precise folding technique allows the light to shine through, making  the  starry pattern?

( Pretty, Pretty)

                                     During Christmas, I do believe in drinking, loose tea,
              since we don't take  enough time out of our  busy schedules to pamper ourselves.

                           So Ladies ... Let's make loose tea a ritual during the festive season.
                                How about some Carmel Chai, with or without milk added.
                                                          It's a Rootibos  based tea,
                                    that has a earthy, robust taste, to get you through the day.
                                                Heaven knows ... You deserve it Ladies !!!

                                 I like taking that little  pause in life and saying to myself,
    " I'm important enough to take the five or six minutes needed for a nice cup of tea "...
                                                                     otherwise ...
                                            How would we ever get through the season !!!!

                                             Now doesn't that look full, rich and flavourful.
                                                M-m-m- girls, it tastes as good as it looks.
                                                                            OOPS....
                                                      You need your teacup replenished.

                      It is always best to store tea in a tin or specifically designed bags that seals,
                  since loose tea is like a sponge and soaks up  surrounding  scents and flavours.
                         I have  also been told, not to use "zip ", glass or plastic containers.
                                                                        ALWAYS
                                      store your tea in a cool, dry place, away from the light...
                                                                           AND
                                                      that's the teatime lesson of the day.
                                                                   

"

 "O, Star of wonder, Star of night, 

Star with Royal beauty bright, 

       Westward leading , still proceeding, 

Guide us to thy perfect light. "

                                       Thank you for lending your voices and spirit in a
                                                                     teatime song.

Today, I'm joining: Rose Chintz Cottage, Martha's Favorites, Tuesday Cuppa Tea and
 Bernideen's Teatime Blog.