One of my favorite Rainers commented this week that she remembers dressing up and enjoying chocolate candy eggs ... her childhood Easter memories.  Those are some of my favorite Easter memories, too... Easters with my little girls.  My favorite Easter picture was Gloria (age 3) stealing Easter eggs from Candi's (age 5) Easter basket while I was taking a photo of them... talk about getting caught with your hand in the Easter basket! 

Unfortunately, since my girls are now 22 and 25 years old, there were no digital cameras to make posting that photo easy ... it's somewhere in a picture album. 

I loved dressing them in the frilly white ankle socks and white patent leather shoes, and the pastel lacey dresses with white gloves which were always chocolate stained before we got home from church.  

Easter baskets, bunnies, and chocolates are as much a part of Easter to me as the real meaning of Easter, the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.  The Christian meaning does not keep me from enjoying a fun Easter Tea Party.  Part of the celebration for me is the excitement of precious little girls in all their frills and bows, hats, gloves, and baskets ... sparkling eyes and beautiful smiles, and chocolate eggs. 

This weekend I was honored to participate in an Easter Tea sponsored by the GFWC Woman's Club of Panama City held at the Clubhouse in The Cove area downtown.  A special event  ... for some very special little girls.

The tea party guests enjoyed finger sandwiches made with egg salad, chicken salad, and peanut butter and jelly, along with fresh strawberries and scones, cookies, cupcakes, milk, lemonade, and tea prepared and served by the Club members. 

These delights were served on beautifully decorated tables with china tea cups, plates, and tea pots, linen napkins, ribbon bows, flowers, and baskets full of candy and toy baby chicks.

Pictured here is a precious little girl with her grandmother.  This is her second year to be a guest at the Easter Tea, and doesn't that smile say it all?  She was such a sweet little lady with her white rose purse.  She loved helping Grandmother pour from the china tea pot.

She was one of the first to be seated while many of the other girls were still working on the paper Easter bonnets  and beaded jewelry at the arts and craft tables. The girls also each made an Easter wreath decorated with crosses and sunrises to take home.

It was amazing to see how much little girl energy can suddenly turn into the most dainty manners imaginable when china dishes and tea sets are involved!  Every one of the young ladies was extremely polite and gracious to each other as they enjoyed the sandwiches and desserts.

Some of the girls, ages 4 to 12, were daughters or granddaughters of club members and friends.  However most of the girls who were invited to be our guests are not living with their own families right now.  Some of these girls have never been invited to a tea before, and their pretty dresses were most likely donated.  Three of these girls were given "matching" dresses, and they were thrilled and grateful to wear them.

Some of these young ladies might not have had an Easter dress or a reason to wear one without this special annual Easter Tea.

All of these little girls were delightful as they crossed the stage in their Easter dresses, stopping to twirl and receive heartfelt applause as the Club's Sunshine Singers sang "In Your Easter Bonnet."

The Easter Bunny made a surprise early arrival as everyone joined in singing "Here Comes Peter Cottontail" -making the entire day just divine! 

The Easter Bunny and each girl had photos made in the clubhouse gardens as they were leaving.  

The annual Easter Tea is a community service project of the Public Affairs Department of the *GFWC Woman's Club of Panama City, Florida. 

*GFWC stands for The General Federation of Woman's Clubs, which is a nation-wide service organization.