Sipping the holiday tea? En pointe at the ette or fly into Sparrow

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There is an elegance and a special civility in the ritual of afternoon tea.

We see it in the clothing — suits and dresses, lacy fascinators. We see it in the music, whether pianist, harpist or string quartet. And certainly, we see it in the food, crisp-lined finger sandwiches filled with savories like cress and roast beef and coronation chicken.

But in wonderful ways, this formal little feast, so regal and posh, fuels the simplest of joys.

Nothing demonstrates this better than the delight of young ones, experiencing it for the first time, sipping real tea from fine china cups instead of pretending with the play ones at home. And in this holiday season, bringing one of the world’s most iconic Christmas performances to life.

That’s just what’