If you’re searching for ways to romanticize your life and add whimsy to battle the daily dose of despair you might be experiencing, you’re in the right place!
Hosting an Anne of Green Gables Day is a brilliant way to celebrate friendship, imagination, and the endless joy to be found in simple, beautiful things.
This blog contains everything you need to get your imagination going and your plans underway!
- Invitations
- Table décor
- Menu ideas
- Dress up ideas
- Name generator and place card activity
- Conversation starters
- Nature craft ideas
Every good party starts with an invitation
Obviously, a fancy invitation received in the mail is always a hit, but writing a delightful email can also create anticipation and be quicker and more environmentally friendly than using paper and requiring delivery by post. It’s up to you!
Either way, start with a sweet salutation and dive right in:
“Dear Kindred Spirits,
You are cordially invited to an Anne of Green Gables Day where we’ll be celebrating friendship, imagination, and the joy found in simple, beautiful things — just as Anne would do!”
Provide the details right up front so people know exactly when and where this event will take place.
Include enough details so as to build anticipation, but maybe don’t give everything away. You can give hints and guidance such as:
“We’ll be having a whimsical tea party, making a nature craft, and sharing stories about our kindred spirits.
Please bring a beloved quote from Anne and feel free to dress up!
A favorite blouse or dress (puffed sleeves are optional but always welcome, of course!) a long skirt, cute apron, a straw hat with ribbons, and/or flowers in your hair, even braids if you can!”
All of this sets the scene for your gathering and allows your guests to know they’re in for something special. For many people, anticipation is half the fun!
As Anne says, “Oh Marilla, looking forward to things is half the pleasure of them.”
Table décor
In true Anne fashion, you’ll want a table overflowing with flowers and whimsical, romantic touches.
Use fresh flowers from your own garden, a neighbor, or from a local farmers market if you can.
Vases can be cute old milk bottles, jars, and pitchers, or fancy vintage ones you rarely use.
Keep it sweet and simple. You don’t want the flowers to overwhelm the table and you do want your guests to be able to see each other across the table for all the lovely conversation you have planned!
Practical parts of your table décor to plan:
- mismatched vintage dishes,
- cute glassware,
- pretty linen napkins,
- tablecloth,
- silverware,
- teacups and teapots if you’re doing a tea party, of course.
- Don’t forget serving plates and bowls or tiered trays for all the yummy treats.
I like to add in other elements around the room, too, such as bunting, suspending flowers from my petite chandelier, and an adorable old hat from when I was a flower girl at the age of five.
Have fun with your menu
Use your imagination to create whimsical names for the foods and drinks you plan to serve.
A simple picnic is a very “Anne” thing to do, and a cozy lunch is nice, but for me it’s always going to be a tea party.
Whatever the foods are, create imaginative names for them just like Anne would do.
If you’re having trouble, feel free to use some of mine such as:
Elixir of life with moonwhip and sweet stardust (tea with cream and sugar)
Cloudpuffs with meadowspread and summer in a jar (scones with butter/cream and homemade jam)
Buttersweet crisps (shortbread cookies)
Orchard cream surprise bites (apple and cheese sandwiches)
Springtime pixies and twinklebursts (strawberries and grapes)
Gifts from the Hens (egg salad sandwiches)
Ruby red bubbles (raspberry “cordial”)
Gilbert’s Curse (mini carrots with dip or carrot cake/cupcakes)
On the day of your party, be sure to print and display the menu with these creative names and encourage everyone to use them as they enjoy the meal.
I mean, “Please pass the springtime pixies and twinklebursts” just sounds so much more fun than “Please pass the fruit salad”, right? Savoring a childlike sense of wonder is what it’s all about.
Another option, if you’re the type who enjoys party games, you could even turn this into a fun competition.
Make a simple checklist with two columns and have them match up the whimsical name with their prediction of what the real food is and crown the winner with the most correct guesses as Queen of the Tea.
Dress up ideas
To help everyone get into character and really enjoy the experience, suggest they wear something Anne would like.
It’s best to include this information in the invitation so everyone has time to come up with a fun outfit or decorate a hat they already have.
Simple options: a favorite blouse or dress (puffed sleeves are optional, but always popular, of course!), a long skirt, cute apron, a straw hat with ribbons, and/or flowers in their hair. They could even do braids if their hair is long enough!
The idea is to dive into the whimsy of the experience by getting into costume, even in a small way.
Use a name generator to create romantic names for your guests
Doing this is such a fun nod to Anne wanting to be called Cordelia and it can work one of two ways.
If you want to be in charge of the seating arrangement, you can generate the names ahead of time and create place cards for everyone and have them set out on the table. Your guests can then refer to the name generator you provide to figure out their new name and where they’re sitting.
OR when everyone arrives, you can have them use the name generator to create their name for the day and have pretty paper and pens so they can create their own place cards for the table.
Be sure to make a point of using these names throughout the day. This can lead to lots of laughs and getting into character as you refer to each other by your “new” names all afternoon.
You can make the place cards double sided or have everyone make nametags so everyone can easily see the names when seated at the table.
Conversation starters
Invite your guests to share about a kindred spirit they treasure. This could be a childhood companion, a special family member, or a current beloved friend.
Prep everyone to think about this in advance and encourage them to even bring a photo if possible.
Another idea is to share favorite quotes or scenes from the book. These can just be described or, even better, read aloud with much dramatic flair.
Another option is to play a selection from an audiobook version you enjoy.
My local library has five different audiobook versions of Anne of Green Gables not to mention all the other books in the series! Check and see what yours has available!
Nature craft
This is a great way of using your imagination to make a keepsake of the day or share a creative experience together.
Some possibilities:
Make bookmarks using pressed flowers which you can prep yourself or buy online.
Put together little posies for everyone to set by their place at the table or just to take home. This is a fun activity to have available as people arrive if you want the flowers on the table or do it after tea as more of a keepsake.
Either way, gather some wildflowers or other small flowers, thrift a few tiny jars or vases, and buy some simple ribbon ahead of time and let everyone design their own little bouquet. Keeping the bouquets small makes it easy create adorable posies for the table and they usually ride home conveniently in a cup holder in the car.
My nature craft of choice this time was to create floral garlands using an assortment of twine, lace, and thin branches. Then we took the garlands to my favorite park nearby and hung them up on a natural arch over the path so that park visitors would get to share in our whimsical joy.
Bonus: It’s super fun to hang around discreetly nearby and listen to people’s reactions of glee and surprise as they encountered the woodland floral arch.
Another option is everyone could take their flower garland home, of course.
NOTE: If you do choose to create something in a public space like this, make sure you use only natural materials.
No plastic, please.
In general, I try to follow the principles of Leave No Trace when I’m in nature. The park I chose has a history of citizens creating fun displays with natural materials and I made sure to return after a couple of days to clean up the lace and ribbons.
Hosting an Anne of Green Gables Day is a guaranteed strategy for creating joy-filled community and unforgettable memories with people you love.
Use as many of these ideas as you wish, but most of all just have fun celebrating the spirit of Anne as she shows us how to find beauty and romance in nature and everyday life.
One final note, I know this might sound like a lot of work, but to me, it’s nothing but joy.
If you want to host such a gathering but it just feels like too much, reach out and let me help! I can deliver whatever items you need and even stay to help serve if you wish. And you know I always do all the dishes!
Click here to schedule a quick chat!
I dearly hope you can attend "lest your life become a perfect graveyard of buried hopes"
