The Passing of the Baton at the Annual Christmas Doll Tea
from left: Diane Phillips and Eugenia Price
Diane Phillips leading the Doll Parade
Eugenia interviewed guests about their dolls
from left: 50-year-old Raggedy Ann doll and 70-year-old Italian doll
December 2024
By Vice President Kim Villalva
The Annual Doll High Tea was held on two dates this year: Sunday, December 8, and Sunday, December 15, 2024. We want to celebrate the leadership of our outgoing Doll Tea Coordinator, Diane Phillips! We can never thank Diane enough for all of her energy, heart, hard work, and nonstop smiles through the years!
This year, she officially passed the baton (both literally and figuratively) to the new Doll Tea Coordinator, Eugenia Price. Both women have been meeting and sharing ideas about the future and the history of this unique DWC event. Thank you, Diane, for your years of service and dedication to the Tea! And thank you, Eugenia, for taking on this role! We appreciate you both so much!
When asked what her favorite part of the Doll Tea has been, Diane said—without even giving it a second thought—the Doll Parade! Girls and their dolls paraded around the house while “March of the Toy Soldiers” played.
Eugenia invited each girl to introduce herself and share something special about her doll. We had dolls of all shapes, sizes, and ages! The oldest dolls present were a 70-year-old Italian doll brought over by Joyce Kasprzak and a 50-year-old Raggedy Ann doll handmade by Kim Villalva’s grandmother.
New for this Tea was a sweet gift that Eugenia created for each girl in attendance—a certificate recognizing her as “The Kindest Most Prettiest Girl in the Whole World.” Each girl left the front with the biggest smile on her face! What an amazing opportunity we have to encourage the next generation of young ladies!
Eugenia handing out certificates
Each girl in attendance received this certificate
Also new for 2024 was the short presentation given by Kim Villalva called “A Cup of Tea: Brief History and Etiquette.” Attendees learned the difference between “high teas” and “low teas” and some fun facts about how to stir and correctly arrange finger sandwiches and pastries.
Many familiar and friendly DWC faces were also in attendance—thank you to all who came out to volunteer and support our annual event!
Each family received a copy of “Annie’s Most Beautiful Christmas: A Story for a Christmas Doll Tea” by Kim Villalva. Kim read the first half of the story at the Tea.
As a special Christmas gift to you, if you would like a copy of this sweet short story sent via email (or mail), please email Kim at kdanisk@yahoo.com.
