If you are familiar with the story of Alice in Wonderland you know of the Mad Hatter and his tea party. How about celebrating the recent release of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland (see Movie Review: Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland Makes Weirdness Fun and Great for Families), by hosting your own Mad Hatter tea party? Here are some tips to help you out.
Location for a Mad Hatter Tea Party
The location for any Mad Hatter tea party is up to the host but if you can hold it outside – even better. If you must have the tea party indoors, use leaves and nature decorations to create the feeling of being outdoors.
Seating, Dishes and Decorations for Mad Hatter Tea Party
A Mad Hatter tea party is haphazardly mad and madly haphazard. Things are mismatched, disorganized and discombobulated. This should be a constant them with a Mad Hatter tea party.
Push two or more tables together for the seating. Mixing round tables with square tables goes right along with the Mad Hatter’s spread for his guests. Table cloths definitely should not match. Perhaps choose brightly-colored table clothes then cover with lace cloths.
Gather up cloth napkins of assorted colors – mismatched of course. Any colors choices work for this zany tea party as far as decorations go.
Plates, tea cups and silverware should all be mismatched as well. If you have broken or cracked dishes or cups, use them as decorations or they can hold sugar or small candies. Yard sales and thrift stores are great places to find unusual dishes to create a Mad Hatter tea set.
The Mad Hatter’s table is cluttered and crowded so be sure to place items to achieve such a look. If you would use one plate for snacks, use two or three. Place several tea pots around the table and extra tea cups (in case someone drops of throws theirs).
Menu for a Mad Hatter Tea Party
The menu for the Mad Hatter tea party can be whatever you wish it to be. In fact, the crazier the better. It will mostly depend upon the guests who will be coming to your tea party. If it will be mostly for kids or teens, how about offering gummy worms, pizza slices or pizza rolls, snack cakes or cupcakes, or any other foods that would create a haphazardly mad hodgepodge menu for a Mad Hatter and his guests.
Drink for the tea party could be actual tea or it could be Kool-Aid or other similar-flavored soft drink. Citrus flavored green tea would be a delicious choice, as would any flavored water beverage.
Be sure to provide a variety of nuts for the tea party because, well, the Mad Hatter and guests are just a little nuts to begin with. Roasted and salted almonds, cashews, peanuts, macadamias, sugared walnuts or pecans all are a great treat to snack on. Throw in a few peanut M&M;’s for good measure.
Entertainment for a Mad Hatter Tea Party
Create conversation starters by writing assorted questions on slips of paper and putt them into jars or bowls. Set the bowls around the tables and use these to make the tea party fun. Come up with questions that are befitting the Mad Hatter. Questions that have no real answer but could lead to interesting conversations would be best (think along the lines of “What do a raven and a writing desk have in common?”).
Invite your friends and enjoy a decidedly deluded tea party that would make the Mad Hatter dance the fudderwack.
