Children of all ages love stuffed teddy bears and for good reason! They're cuddly, warm, and cute and they don't make a mess on your living room floor before guests arrive! The joy a stuffed animal can bring to a child is a wonderful and amazing thing and I believe every child should have at least one favorite bear in her lifetime.

Now, combine this great love of all things fluffy with a little girl's tea party and you have the makings of the grandest event of the year for your daughter. The Teddy Bear Tea Party!

There are several ways you can create this memory-filled event for your little one. Obviously the two main elements must be accounted for... the tea and the teddy bears. So let's look at both in just a little more detail.

1. The tea. Assuming you're planning your party for the younger of the young ladies, you'll want to keep the tea simple and SWEET! Not too much scrimping on the sugar here, mom...this is the event of the year remember? Choose a tea with some added flavor. Blackberry, apple or vanilla are a few of our favorites. You can go with the varieties from the tea aisle in the grocery store or find some fine lovely teas at various upscale tea shops or even online. Don't make the tea too strong and remember to have plenty of sugar (get the cubes...little girls LOVE the cubes) and cream for those who have not yet acquired the taste for afternoon tea yet. More sugar is required in the form of cookies, little chocolates and other tea fancies to complete the tea table. Remember mom; all the little ones will probably have a good toothbrush at home anyway!

2. The Teddy Bears. As you know, not all children choose a bear as their favorite stuffed animal so you might want to offer some flexibility here! The most economical way to include the animals is to ask each child to bring their own favorite teddy or other animal along for the event. Providing a simple craft for the girls to make a teddy tea shawl (an inexpensive cloth napkin and some fabric makers or rubber stamps will do nicely) will help to make the stuffed animals more at ease at the tea table. Or, if you want to get even more elaborate, have a make your own stuffed animal event as part of your party, where each guests can build a bear or other stuffed animal to take home.

Keep the entire party short and simple for maximum memory making and remember your camera and film. You'll want to take plenty of pictures of the little ones, pinkies high sipping their tea while enjoying their tea dainties. Finally, remember to take a photo of each guest with the guest of honor and their bears. Include the picture with your thank you notes so each will have a grand remembrance of the day as well.

Teddy Bear tea parties don't need to be just for birthday parties either. Make this an annual event for your girls. Celebrate the start of the school year or celebrate the first day of spring. I bet you'll find that the tradition you start when your girls are young will continue on into their teen years and beyond... and each year you can guarantee the teddy bears will come along too. One is never too old to love a stuffed teddy bear! At the end of each year's celebration, create a special page for a scrapbook so your girls will have something wonderful to pass on to their daughters along with the annual tradition!