Where: Roswell, GA Style: Antebellum Tea Selection: Choice of black or decaffeinated tea Teatimes: Select dates in December Reservations: Pre-paid reservations required (teas sell out weeks in advance) Contact: 770-992-1731 Cost:$50 Christmas Tea (includes historic home tour) Destination Tea Tip: Keep an eye on our Metro Atlanta directory around early fall so that you can reserve your seats as soon as dates are posted. Be sure to allow time for the post-tea historic tour, included in the Christmas Tea fee.
Destination Tea Notes: Non-profit organization Friends of Bulloch gracefully hosts a well-planned annual Christmas Tea at the 1839 childhood home of Mittie Bulloch, mother to President Theodore Roosevelt, and grandmother to First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Half of the pleasure of taking tea at Bulloch Hall is imagining American historical figures enjoying the holidays in the very same rooms. Tea here is all about the food — which is plentiful and homemade — and the conversation, as small parties share community tables, which of course, leads to shared stories. We know we are blessed to be seated with an octogenarian whose daughter graciously allows us to pepper her mother with questions about her views on longevity, marriage, career and life balance. Her advice is the true gift of the afternoon. As the tables are gradually cleared away, we gather in the foyer for our home tour led by a knowledgeable docent, marveling at her detailed accounting of family life in this 19th century home.
Decorated for Christmas, each ground floor room sports several cheerful red tables set for tea. Volunteers lead us to our table, which we share with two other parties.
China place settings surround cranberries-and-candles centerpieces.
Each festive room also honors one “remarkable woman of the 19th century,” displaying and describing her contributions.
Tea Service
Guests are offered a choice of black or decaffeinated tea.
Volunteers dressed in period clothing kindly keep our tea cups full. This wonderful docent expertly led the house tour after our tea.
Savories and Sweets
After tea is served, the generous savories course pours forth from the back of the house. Plates are arranged with individual servings of egg salad roll up (yum), pimento cheese thumbprint cookie, chicken salad sandwich, pumpkin bread & cranberry sandwich, cucumber bourbon benedictine, apricot, ham & brie phyllo cup and a mini cheeseburger bite. We take our time sampling each item as we visit with our tablemates.
For dessert, we have fun identifying which was which, agreeing that the pound cake with orange marmalade and ginger hazelnut shortbread cookie were the standouts, amongst the toffee pear scone, lemon tart, sugar plums, fruit cake cookie and Christmas trifle. So many Christmas treats!
After taking tea, we meet in the foyer to commence our docent-led tour of this 1839 home, and especially admire the sample inventions woven throughout the home’s decorations, to display the accomplishments of 19th century female inventors.
We can understand why these teas sell out so quickly, as this event invites friends and family to gather for a leisurely, festive repast in a historic home that harkens back to the original era of afternoon tea.
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