The women of St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church are beginning preparations for the annual Christmas Tea on Saturday, Dec. 7. Tickets go on sale at 9 a.m. on Nov. 18 in the church Parish Hall.
By Sandy Artzberger
Special to The PREVIEW
The women of St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church are getting ready to make cream cheese scones with strawberries and chocolate chips; open face sandwiches; savories consisting of cucumber/dill on rye-recipe from Empress Hotel in Victoria, Canada; carrot/ginger sandwiches and tarragon chicken salad — recipe from the Silver Palate; and tea desserts for you at their annual Christmas Tea to be held Dec. 7. in the church Parish Hall (next to the church).
The aroma of cinnamon apple tea, decorations, tea table settings and hanging Christmas quilts will transport you back to the time of Charles Dickens.
Tickets are $15 each and will go on sale in St. Pat’s Parish Hall Monday, Nov. 18, at 9 a.m. If not all sold out on Monday, tickets will be sold in the church on Tuesday, Nov. 19, from 9 a.m. to noon. There is no advanced sale of tickets, even to parishioners, and there is a limit of eight tickets to one buyer. Also, there’ll be two seatings at the Dec. 7 tea: 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Most tables seat four. Scones and tea will be available to “early birds” on Monday ticket sale day.
Unique this year will be musical entertainment from 12:45 to 1:45 p.m. in the church which is free and open to all attending the tea and those without tea tickets. The musical groups are the Night Song Trio and the Dickens’ Carolers. Handmade crafts will be for sale in both the Parish Hall and church.
Yes, this is a community outreach fundraiser. However, since the tea’s beginning, the women of St. Pat’s see it mainly as their gift to the women of Pagosa Springs to be a bit of a respite before the busyness of the holidays.