A Cup of Christmas Tea

A Cup of Christmas Tea, #1

by Tom Hegg, Warren Hanson (Illustrator)

A nephew's visit to an elderly great-aunt at Christmastime brings him memories of past holidays and the realization of how the human spirit can triumph over adversity.

Genres: Christmas, Poetry, Holiday, Fiction, Book Club, Inspirational, Picture Books

48 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1982

About the author

Tom Hegg is a husband, father, grandfather, teacher, actor and writer. He has touched countless lives with his New York Times bestselling title, A Cup of Christmas Tea, and his series of books about PEEF The Christmas Bear. Tom is a drama teacher at Breck School in Minneapolis where he holds the rank of Master Teacher. He trained at Carnegie Mellon and performed for many magical seasons at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. Tom and his wife Peggy live in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.

Reviews

[Jessaka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Words can’t describe this beautiful and meaningful book, but I shall try with the help of the author:

“A week before, I got a letter from my old Great Aunt.
It read: “Of course I’ll understand
completely if you can’t.
But if you find you have some time,
How wonderful if we
could have a little chat
and share a cup of Christmas tea.

But boy! I didn’t want to go!
Oh, what a bitter pill
To see an old relation
and how far she’d gone downhill.”

The first time I read this book I read it a few times
because there was just something about it, but I didn’t realize then that I would have a friend who wanted me to come over to see her and have coffee or tea on her front porch every day I could. It wasn’t easy to do because she was dying, and I didn’t want to see her as she was, but I look back now and realize that even though I felt very reluctant to go, it was the best thing that I could have done for her and maybe for myself.



Note: This Book is not a sad story about an anun dying.

[Sheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

As we cherish dear family and friends, we must not live solely in memories from the past, but strive to forever create even more treasured memories. A lovely holiday read and a nice reminder that we all appreciate friendship and fellowship and that when we give, we also receive.

[Joe Krakovsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christmas was almost upon us,
It was hectic as could be.
My old Auntie called me up,
And offered me some tea.

I didn't want to go,
And see her old body bent.
A loving long life with her,
But now her body's spent.

Should I go or should I stay?
Do you really want to know?
Read this book for yourself,
And see what love did sow.

[Antoinette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book hit close to my heart as I lost a dear friend this year. There were times I felt anxious about going to see her because she was a shell of her former self. My friend had an inner strength that was remarkable! No matter her circumstances, she always thought of others. She was truly amazing!!

The message in this book is simple: make time for the people that are important, even if it's difficult. Keep your memories but be present to today!

A short book with beautiful illustrations that struck the right chord for me for this Christmas season!! Thanks to my GR friend, Jessaka, whose review of this book, made me go out and buy it :)

[Donna Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received A Cup of Christmas Tea as a Christmas gift from a close friend when I was in my twenties and my children were still tiny. I read the book, which is a poetic narrative that reflects on the importance of remaining connected with older people in the family, not only because they are lonely, but because if they were important to us when we were children, chances are that the connection will still prove important to us. I put it rather clumsily; the poem is brilliant.

I still have the book, though now it is I who walk with a cane. Every Christmas, two boxes of special books that are stored away for the rest of the year come out, and this is still one of my favorites.

A wonderful gift; though it isn't physically large, I would call it sort of a coffee-table book.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't believe I'd never read this before! A new favorite classic.

[Fictionophile · Rating 5 out of 5]

I own this book and read it every Christmas to get me 'in the mood' for the season.

[Ms. B · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first read or heard of this story in the mid 1990s. There was even a priest who would read it to us each year for the Christmas homily. It seemed a bit of a Christmas classic (as it had already been around for over 10 years when it appeared on my radar and a New York Times bestseller).
It's the story of an unnamed narrator who visits his great aunt during the Christmas season out of guilt. Despite the passage of time and the fact his aunt is no longer in her prime, she is still sharp and vibrant. The house is decorated and she's quite the conversationalist. The two have a lovely time togehter.
Rereading this now for probably the first time since the aughts, I was pleasantly surprised by the timelessness of the story. This is the why behind why we make an effort to make Christmas special for our loved ones; we are creating memories for the next generations. May the spirit of Christmas live on. May we continue to make memories with our families.

[Mayda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartwarming poem about a young man visiting his aged and infirm aunt. She wants a visit, but he prefers to remember her as she was when she was younger and vigorous. But guilt propels him, and in visiting her, he makes an important discovery. Charmingly told in verse with lovely illustrations, this short poem packs a significant message.

[Lesle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A christmas story. A grand nephew and his Great Aunt. With invitation of Christmas Tea to spend some time with her. How he came up with every reason not to go and finally deciding it was best. He knocked on her door and was invited in. At first it was like a conversation with a Stranger about the weather and such, but once the memories came back...they enjoyed a cup of Christmas Tea.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

We sell this book where I work and I've never even picked this up until today. I liked this book a lot. I liked it so much that I even bought my own copy.

[Theresa F. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what to expect when I sat down to read this book. I knew next to nothing about it, except that it contained poetry. And poetry isn't typically one of my usual, go-to genres. The only reason I bought a copy of the book to begin with was because I have a weakness for books that double as Christmas tree ornaments. Though in this instance, I may also have been drawn to the title, since I grew up in a family of tea-drinkers.
But I'll freely admit that I got a little misty-eyed when I read this work. The character of the elderly, great aunt reminded me a little of my own great aunt, who has since passed on.
While there may be some cynical readers who would find the story sappy, I thought it was heartwarming.
Did I like it? I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this book.
Would I reread it? I might.
Would I recommend it? Absolutely.

[writer... · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christmas morning I opened this lovely hardcover book received from Mrs Claus [along with a box of tea]:)
A brief, but creative reminder of the value of determining priorities in the busyness of contemporary Christmas celebrations. Much appreciated and the fact it was purchased from a local charity shop added to its value! Thank you Mrs Claus :))



Loved re-reading Mrs Claus' Christmas message in the flyleaf - inspiriting!
as was the reading of this so special story of a young man visiting an aging great aunt who teaches him invaluable life lessons in an afternoon over tea...
Christmas 2014 Dec 6th

[Dolly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so beautiful and so special!

[Bam cooks the books · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was read to us at a very traditional Christmas tea complete with cakes, clotted cream, finger sandwiches and, of course, pots of fragrant tea. Delightful!

[Maris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet little Christmas poem

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet story. Sadly my Aunts are gone but would love to share a cup of tea with them. I hope my nieces and nephews will visit me for cookies and tea when I can no longer host our family gatherings.

[Duffy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author and I both grew up in Minnesota and met in 9th-grade English class. After Tom had this book published he had an interview with the local radio station. My Mom heard his reading and the interview and decided to get this for me for Christmas; I don't think she realized that I knew Tom since we moved the summer after 9th grade. The neighborhood I grew up in had an older woman who was an Aunt or Grandma for all of us kids. This story sparks tons of Minneapolis and Christmas memories which are long gone since I've been on the East Coast for several years now. Christmas will always bring back wonderful memories of our small corner of southwest Minneapolis and our "Aunt" Alice who would sit in the rocking chair and guide our young hands as she supervised our tree decorations. Tom - you did good!

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Cup of Christmas Tea is a sentimental poem available as a hard cover book so pretty that every year I set it out as part of my Christmas decorating. The poem is about a man who doesn't want to visit his aging aunt before Christmas because he's busy and she's been ill and he doesn't want to see her as she is now. He'd rather remember her as she was when he was a child and she a young, vibrant woman. Eventually his conscience gets the best of him and the poem continues on to describe the visit. I first read this years ago when I had aging relatives of my own and found it quite moving. Now that I'm the aunt, I love it even more and it makes me tear up every time. Whatever your age, I think this will get to you. I hope it does, because there are a lot of us aging, infirm aunts out here and we would love a visit. :)

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book every Christmas and sometimes other times when I happen to spot it while looking for another book. This is a favorite of mine. It is a great reminder to not forget the older friends and relatives that may not be able to get around as much. These wonderful people still get lonely and long for someone to talk to. They might not remember everything but they have much to share.

I worked briefly in a long term care facility and it is so sad to see how lonely some of people are. Some people never had visitors and seemed so lost. Even after I moved on to other employment I kept visiting my new old friends. Even those who couldn't talk communicated their gratefulness with their eyes. Always remember the ones who came before us, even if they are not perfect.

[Becki Iverson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to start by saying this is the sort of thing that I normally NEVER read and would find so hokey and weird and dumb. But a dear friend read this out loud at her annual ornament sharing party, which I attended for the first time this year, and I found that the environment just made it such a special story. As it is about visiting a treasured great aunt it also spoke to me, as I love to visit my great aunts and make a point of doing so as often as I can. The story and context just hit me in the right spot and I loved everything about it. Most people would probably find this silly and overly sentimental but ... this year I needed it and I'm sticking to my story.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This poem is short, but Hegg sure packs a lot into it. Nicely done.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorites and now I am a great aunt. It was especially poignant this year!

[Trisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

A treasure of a find at a thrift store and my favorite new Christmas book this year.

[Lynne Vanderveen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I reread this one every year. It’s a sweet tale of a young man visiting his elderly aunt at Christmas (albeit reluctantly) and what he discovers through the time spent with a sweet lady.

[Barbara Nutting · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great little book to close out my reading list of 2019. I first heard Clark Weber read this poem on Chicago radio at Christmas in 1992 - loved it so I bought it, 27 years later it still brings tears to my eyes and a lump in my throat.

Nobody reads it like Mr Weber, so I Googled him and was able to find the story behind the book and his beautiful rendition was recorded there. Thanks to both Clark Weber and Tom Hogg, the author.

[AmyEliza Springer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This narrative poetry tells a wonderful story of a busy man who makes time for his old Great Aunt for a cup of Christmas tea. By making that visit, the man is blessed far more than he expected with care and love, and the joy of Christmas.

[Anjanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This had a great impact on me as a child—it was read aloud on our local talk radio station each year. You can bet I don’t neglect my elderly aunts around the holidays. lol My Dad used to say this book was “brought to you by the Elderly Aunt Council.”

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very quick, very cute book about the nostalgia of Christmas and remembering those around us.

[Cherie Palmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter and I read it to each other every Christmas. It never gets old.