Tea & Trifle

Tea & Trifle is the DVSS annual Christmas party, held annually in early December. Our first Tea & Trifle was in 2012; due to our mutual relationship with the Colorado Railroad Museum, we were permitted to use the fantastic Tahoe Railroad & Navigation Company Dining Car #4 for Tea & Trifle for a number of years. The Tahoe is an antique narrow gauge rail car, built in 1901. However, we have decamped to the Denver Botanic Gardens one year. (We’re not sure where we will be holding Tea & Trifle in the future.)

What to expect

Tea & Trifle features a pot-luck build-your-own Trifle Bar. We ask guests to bring a variety of cakes, fruits, fillings, and garnishes to share, and the Instigators provide trifle cups and serving plates and bowls for use by the guests.

Of course, we also serve Tea at Tea & Trifle, and we engage in several rounds of Tea Dueling. Tea Dueling is playing “chicken” with biscuits and hot tea; the rival duelist who maintains an upright biscuit the longest - and eats it - wins. Competition is fierce, and much hilarity ensues.

We also organize a “white elephant” gift exchange for the amusement of our party. (This style of gifting may date to the early ninteenth century.) Each participant provides a wrapped gift, generally of interest to the Neo-Victorian community. Lots are drawn, and guests select a gift by the order of their lot. They may select from under the Yule tree, or may opt to appropriate the gift of another. (Gifts may exchange hands a total of three times before they are the posession of the participant.)

Typically, neo-Victorian attire is always admired, but never required.