A new year and new decor

Every year it seems my winter decorating gets determined by some of my Christmas gifts, and such is the case this year as well! My best tea-related Christmas gift, though, would have to be the longed-for vintage tea cart my parents gave me.

Several months before Christmas, my mom asked me to go down in the basement to see something she and Daddy had picked up (probably for $5, knowing them) and thought I might want as part of my Christmas gift. Yes-yes-yes, I quickly said, and when they delivered it at Thanksgiving, with a bow tied on, I was thrilled, but I decided I wouldn't officially decorate it until after Christmas.

Now this year, I am humbled to confess I receive so many tea-related Christmas gifts I've got to share them by theme or I'd be here all day uploading photos (and you'd get weary and leave!). Today's theme is "Winter Whites," because I just love the silvery, snowy, blue-white palette that represents wintertime. First, a new teapot and two tea mugs from my friend Beth. Now that the Christmas teacups are packed away for another year, I'm enjoying sipping out of pretty new mugs!

From my husband (with a little nudge from my eBay wish list) came this ruffled Tea Room Depression glass vase. I know I will greatly enjoy using this for all kinds of things.

From Patsy, who reads my blog and lives nearby, I received a surprise drop-off at the office one day of this lovely little electric teapot she had decided to part with and thought of me. Isn't it charming!

Did you notice the silver teapot at back of the cart? This was a gift from my friend Sandra, who clearly has picked up on my newfound fascination for hotel and department store silver over the past year. Look how well the "Hotel Sutter" teapot, at right, matches the Halle Department Store Tea Room teapot, at left, I already had. Sweet!

Sandra also gave me some iced tea spoons (which I love to collect) from the Manger Hotels. Manger! At Christmas! I won't ever forget when I received these, will I?

More gifts from my mom included a nice new stack of Battenburg lace napkins and ...

... a new three-tiered server, which I hope will see action in the year ahead.

And last but by no means least, my friend Tina added to my tea-themed ornament collection with teacup and teapot ornaments from Cracker Barrel, and my friend Linda gave me a much-coveted Jim Shore Christmas Santa bearing tea. Although I didn't pull out my nearly-200 Santa mugs this Christmas, I hope to do so in 2013 and I know this Santa will be right at home in the midst of them! So that's enough for today, but soon I'll be sharing some tea-themed gifts for the garden, and some special tea treats, and some unique tea and toast sets ... thanks to generous friends and family, I'll be playing with my tea loot all winter long!