Greeting December! Christmas Reading, Favorite Things Books, Teacups, Tea Punch

Hi there! I hope you had a marvelous Thanksgiving weekend...

and here it is December!

In the UK it is traditional to greet folks with the phrase...

"white rabbits, white rabbits"

which is said to bring you good luck for the month...

my English Nana and I always did it growing up!

I found this on Pinterest, and think it's an even better way to start the month of December.....

As a great reader, the beginning of Christmas finds the appearance of some beloved Christmas themed books from my bookshelves... 

Jan Karon's Shepherds Abiding is always on the list...

There is always A Cup Of Christmas Tea...

2 wonderful Miss Read books...
No Holly For Miss Quinn, and...

A 2 book holiday combination of Village Christmas and The Christmas Mouse... charming and heartwarming tales...

And Miss Read's Christmas Book... a compilation of seasonal exerpts from her books with scriptures, poems, songs, recipes and legends of the season.

I also read on my Kindle Jane Austen And the Twelve Days of Christmas for a fun look into Jane Austen's Regency Christmas world, while enjoying her sleuthing!

And for a festive cuppa tea while putting up the tree or doing my seasonal reading...

A pretty English bone china teacup with hand applied enamels by Queen Anne from the 1950s...

The pattern name is Noel... which is perfect, isn't it?!

This is a pedestal teacup, but I have had other versions in different shapes from Queen Anne, so apparently it was popular and folks liked different shapes.
Lovely!

This a great recipe from a link from a newsletter from Bigelow Tea a few years ago for Sparkling Constant Comment Tea Punch.

I like to share it this time of year, because it is perfect for so many gatherings.

Sparkling “Constant Comment” Tea Holiday Punch

4 cups water

6 Bigelow Constant Comment tea bags

2 quarts Sparkling Water**

1 12-oz. can frozen lemonade concentrate

1 12-oz. can frozen orange juice concentrate

1 8-oz. can crushed pineapple with juice

Garnish with Orange Slices

Yield: Yields 25 4-oz. servings.

Instructions:

In a saucepan, bring water to boil, add tea bags, cover and steep for 5 minutes. Remove tea bags. Allow tea to cool; then chill.

Just before serving time, combine tea, sparkling water or Champagne, juice concentrates, and pineapple in a large punch bowl.

Garnish with Orange Slices

** Celebrating a special event? Spark it up by substituting 1-1/2 to 2 bottles of Champagne for the Sparkling Water

I like to share antique postcards on the blog at this time of year... and do on my Facebook page, so the one a bit above is for December 1st, and this one is for December 2nd. Some are from my personal collection, some are from open sources, and some are available at Antiques And Teacups.

I hope you will enjoy them as much as I do!