Things You'll Need:
- 4x6 index cards
- felt-tip pen
- Victorian-themed stickers
- decorating supplies (markers, glitter, etc).
- box
- dress-up clothes
- table
- tablecloth
- paper
- ribbon
- hole punch
- paper doilies
- old Christmas cards
- poster board
- tape
- stapler
- scissors
- tea set
- saucers or small bowls
- tea, cocoa, and other beverages
- napkins
- mixed nuts
- egg
- sugar
- cinnamon
- bread
- butter
- cookie cutters
- oven and cookie sheet
- orange juice
- grated orange peel
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Step 1
If you have time, send invitations through the mail. Store-bought ones are okay, but handmade ones are even better. Use blank 4x6 inch index cards and have your child decorate them with markers or glitter, leaving enough room for you to write. Add a few stickers: there are many types of Victorian-style stickers in craft stores. Use a black felt-tip pen to write "You're Invited" in script on one side and write the party details on the other. Address the envelopes with the same pen and seal them with a sticker.
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Step 2
Add a note on the invitation or verbally encourage the kids to dress their very best. This does not mean the clothes you find the most formal, but rather the child's opinion of her fanciest clothes. Victorian women piled on the jewelry and frills, so why shouldn't your little one? Provide a dress-up box for guests to create outfits or simply accessories. This can include: bits of old Halloween costumes, costume jewelry, hats--whatever you have. For a special touch, have your child decorate the box beforehand.
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Step 3
It was very fashionable in the Victorian era for women to make simple crafts like scrapbooks. Make books beforehand by folding three or four sheets of paper together horizontally. Punch holes at the top and bottom of the folded "spines" and have the children thread ribbon through the holes. Tie the ribbon at the ends. The kids can then decorate the books.
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Step 4
They could also make Victorian-style Christmas ornaments. Cut squares of poster board, roll diagonally from end to end, and tape or staple together to make cornucopias. Fill the cornucopias by pasting bits of doilies, stickers, and cut-outs from old Christmas cards in them. Punch a small hole on each side of the narrow end of the "horn" and thread glittery ribbon or cord through them to hang on a Christmas tree.
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Step 5
Set a table with snacks. Any kind of low table will work: a playroom table, a coffee table, even a piano bench is fine. Cover the table with a tablecloth and put the snacks on saucers with doilies beneath them.
Victorian hors d'oeuvres were called "kickshaws". Authentic kickshaws would include spiced nuts: Beat one egg until it is foamy. Add two cups of nuts and 1/4 cup of sugar. Sprinkle with cinnamon and cayenne pepper (but not too much!) Spread on a greased cookie sheet and bake in a 325 degree F oven for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. -
Step 6
These are not technically kickshaws, but they make very dainty snacks:
Cinnamon Toasties: Cut shapes from buttered bread with cookie cutters. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Wrap in foil and bake on a cookie sheet at 250 degrees F until butter melts.
Orange Toasties: Mix 1/4 cup of sugar, 1/4 cup orange juice and grated orange peel. Cut the crusts from 6 slices of bread and cut the bread diagonally. Spread the orange mixture on them and bake on cookie sheet at 250 degrees until the tops are slightly brown. -
Step 7
Complement the tea snacks with dishes of sliced oranges or dried fruit. Serve with warm tea in an unbreakable teapot and teacups to let the children feel grown-up, but be sure to have cocoa and other drinks on hand.
