Well, friends, it’s election week here in the U.S., and if you are lucky enough to live in a battleground state like Ohio, you’ve experienced a 12 week onslaught of spam texts, phone calls, and commercials guaranteed to raise your blood pressure in less than 90 seconds.1 I have become a ninja with the “block and report spam” button. I received a text yesterday that started with “We really really really really really really need you…” FIVE REALLYS! I mean, really?! I joked with my husband that if Sherrod Brown texts me one more time, I’ll still vote for him, but I’ll be really really annoyed about it.
It feels especially cruel that peak election season also falls during football season. Instead of spending my commercial breaks refilling my plate with nachos as God intended, I am forced to spend it fact checking and talking to my kids about Super PACs.2
I am approaching this week with a casserole sized dish of exhaustion, sprinkled with several pinches of wary hope and a dash of dread. Previous elections have been filled with surprises (of the not fun variety), and I must still carry this in my body. Election day carries with it the possibility of change and chaos in equal measure.
That’s why I think we should all have an election week tea party. Let me explain.
I was recently reading The Village Library Demon Hunting Society3 (the book is as delightfully quirky as that title), when I came across this bit of loveliness:
“There was something so wonderfully comforting about a whole tiered tray full of miniature sandwiches and petit fours like little pink and brown birthday presents. It was food that defied anxiety. You were never presented with a tray full of tiny cakes in the face of catastrophe. An elaborate afternoon tea was the emotional antithesis to the canned soups of natural disasters or the casseroles of recent bereavement.”
Yes, so much is on the line this week, and yes, it all matters, and yes, we all need to do what we can to ensure the flourishing of our neighbors. But also, when the world’s problems feel big, we can go small—perhaps even tiny cakes and mini sandwiches small.
Most of us have little control over the results of this election and the decisions made by the people in charge after it. But here’s what we can do:
We can send out an invitation to joy and beauty on a fraught day.
We can make (or buy) some treats.
We can offer comfort in the form of a steaming mug of tea (or hot chocolate or coffee).
We can be together, eating cute sandwiches and raising our delicate tea cups to community, something that will last beyond any election.
Election Day Tea Party Invite + Menu
I am decidedly not a fussy food kind of girl. I care much more about how a food tastes (and how easy it is to make) than how it looks. Making traditional petit fours is not in the cards for me this week (or, let’s be honest, any week), but I am planning to make some lemon rosemary cookies and a batch of chai tea concentrate.
I spent 15 minutes designing these invites in Canva that I texted to friends. Paid subscribers, I’ve included a link to the invite template at the bottom of this post, so you can customize them yourself.
I’m also sharing several more of my favorite anxiety-defying recipes, but please hear me: this is not supposed to make you feel more stressed. You don’t need to make a single thing from scratch unless you really feel like it. You can buy the mini chocolate chip cookies from Trader Joe’s and put them on your fanciest plate like the queen you are. I might run to Home Goods and see if they have some cute napkins or to-go cups, or we might just drink out of my rag tag collection of mugs. This is Good Enough Hospitality at its best.
If leaning into beauty—fresh flowers, doilies, or dainty tea cups—brings you joy, then by all means, lean in! If not, skip it!
This is meant to bring us joy and connection on a tense day. Don’t let the details get in the way of the point.
Hot Tea/Drink Options:
Assorted store bought bagged teas, preferably something herbal and caffeinated for a variety of needs. I love Harney and Son’s African Autumn herbal tea and Numi’s Aged Earl Gray.
How to Make Tea Lattes (including London Fogs, my personal favorite)- Definitely fancy, but only go this route if you don’t mind playing barista for a bit.
Chai Tea Concentrate- This is likely the route I will go. You can pre-make a big batch of this concentrate and whip up hot chai tea lattes in 60 seconds.
Matcha Lattes- See tea lattes above. This one is fussy, but it will allow you to impress everyone with your mad skills.
Stove Top Hot Chocolate- For the real chocolate lovers! This stuff is rich.
Hot Apple Cider- A store bought option that works great for kids, too.
Anxiety Defying Cookies/Treats/Little Sandwich Options:
Cucumber Sandwiches with Dill Cream Cheese- The OG of tea sandwiches. They’re so easy to make and endlessly versatile.
Madeleines or Macarons from Costco- These definitely fit the pretty/cute food theme, and they’re decently affordable
I’d love to hear how this lands for you! Does it feel wrong to sip tea on a day when so much is being decided or is this the kind of grounding, joyful reprieve you need more of? If you decide to host your own election day tea party, please leave us a comment and let us know! I’d love to hear how you’re gathering your people.
Paid subscribers, here’s the link to the invite template!