It’s been over 60 years since this Disney classic was released, but it still feels timeless: a magical governess changes the lives of everyone at the dreary Banks household, in a story that is filled with inspiration, whimsy and song (along with some cartoon penguins).
Appealing to kids and adults alike, Mary Poppins might just be the perfect movie to arrange a viewing party around.
Personally, we think that the most suiting celebration would be a fancy tea party — heavy on both savory and sweet appetizers, drinks for kids and adults, and, naturally, plenty of playfulness.
Dress the part
While the movie was released in 1964, the story itself takes place in 1910 London (hence the big, long skirts and the chimney sweeps). You can don some period clothing to up the fun, opting for a Poppins look or maybe a suited banker.
If you can’t quite pull together a whole outfit, consider just finding a fancy old-timey hat to pair with a cane or umbrella.
You can always go the extra mile by rustling up a carpet bag and filling it with all sorts of goodies.
Get your Mary Poppins on
Before you can have a spoonful of, well, anything, you have to get the movie ready:
MOVIE: Disney’s Mary Poppins (Don’t have it? Get it at Amazon or see more options)
RUNNING TIME: 2 hour, 19 minutes
YEAR OF RELEASE: 1964
RATING: G
STARRING: Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, David Tomlinson
Dinner and a movie: Your Mary Poppins menu
And now, for our feature presentation…
Appetizer: A parade of avocado egg salad tea sandwiches
Prepare a tasty spread of Recipe Girl’s finger sandwiches to start things off, and you’re bound to earn praise from your fam. Not only is egg salad essentially universally loved, but serving it in tea sandwich form simply feels oh-so-Poppins-like.
Appetizer: Eggs Benedict English muffins
Gone off his crumpet, that’s what he’s done! You can’t have a proper English tea party without some crumpets. They also happen to be one of Mary Poppins’s favorite foods, according to the original books.
English muffins come pretty darn close to crumpets, and these by Real Housemoms are topped with a poached egg and hollandaise sauce, to boot.
MORE: Dinner and a movie: Disney’s ‘Cinderella’
Bonus? They’ll fill everyone’s bellies at a party that doesn’t have a main entréee.
Dessert: Lemon cakes
Mary Poppins’s other favorite food is lemon cakes — and we’re not mad about it, not one bit. This recipe for lemon bars from I Am Baker is easier than making individualized cakes, and they are also more vibrant.
And need we mention that lemon cakes are the perfect embodiment of how a spoonful of sugar can make something bitter delightfully sweet?
Beverage: Tea with a spoonful of sugar
Every tea party needs tea! You can use absolutely any kind, but you can’t go wrong with Sugar & Soul’s classic homemade sweet tea. You can always choose a caffeine-free variety so that kids can enjoy it, too.
MORE: Dinner and a movie: ‘Miracle on 34th Street’
Be sure to serve it in fancy teacups (you can find them, and tea saucers, for surprisingly cheap at secondhand stores) and alongside a big, fat sugar bowl filled with you-know-what.
