A Cup of Christmas Tea - Hardcover

TOM HEGG 2001

Noted author, lecturer and teacher Tom Hegg has written PEEF and His Best Friend, the third PEEF teddy bear book. PEEF and his best friend share a series of exciting adventures. Growing up brings ups and downs in their life, but in the end they remain the best of friend. Illustrated by Warren Hanson, PEEF and His Best Friend joins the growing list of titles created by the Hegg/Hanson duo and published by Waldman House Press of Minneapolis, MN.

A Memory of Christmas Tea reveals the legacy of love left by a frail but strong aunt.

A Cup of Christmas Tea is the story of a young man’s reluctant visit to an elderly aunt at Christmastime, and the unexpected joy that it brings.

PEEF The Christmas Bear is a tender story about a teddy bear, handmade by Santa, who is given to a delighted child on Christmas Eve. PEEF weaves a powerful message of love and respect in hearts of every age.

A Silent Night for PEEF is the story that reunites Santa and PEEF. PEEF reveals his sense of security and how deeply he embraces his new life.

Mr. Hegg is the director of drama at Breck School, Minneapolis, MN, where he holds the rank of Master Teacher. He is the recipient of several awards and commendations in connection with his teaching career, including the titles of Teacher of Excellence and Honor Roll Teacher bestowed by the MN Education Association, and a listing in “Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers”.

Mr. Hegg is a public speaker with extensive national experience. His programs gather around the theme of the triumph of the human spirit in the face of adversity. Audiences find themselves buoyed by frequent and hearty laughter and touched by sweet tears. In connection with his stories and poems, Mr. Hegg speaks about living with clinical depression and chronic anxiety. His message is one of constant and abiding hope through the exercise of discipline and Faith.

Tom and his wife Peggy, residents of Eden Prairie, MN, have one son, Adam.

In rhyming verse, Hegg tells a familiar, uplifting story of the onerous family obligations that often descend around the holidays. The narrator is almost perfectly happy as Christmas approaches, enjoying the "30 days reprieve ’til VISA could catch up with me." Unfortunately, he has received an invitation to tea from his great aunt, and he has no desire to go. He remembers the old woman "as vigorous,/ as funny and as bright," but she recently suffered a stroke, and he thinks it will be depressing to see her. Before long, though, he succumbs to "an acid rain of guilt" and forces himself to go, and the experience is ultimately rewarding. Hegg doesn’t employ continuous rhyme or meter, so the writing never becomes overbearing or stilted but rather has a conversational lilt. In its first edition, published in 1982, the book sold more than 1.5 million copies, and this reissue takes the shape of a special gift format that is nearly stocking-size and, with its rich red jacket, almost looks gift-wrapped. The packaging also highlights the Christmas colors in Hanson’s fine, minimalist watercolors, which are bright on the golden pages. The beautiful presentation combined with Hegg’s simple yet resonant story may help this book draw an even larger readership this time around.
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