Tea parties aren’t just for old ladies and little girls with their dollies anymore. You can take a college-kid approach to the timeless ritual with a few minor adjustments. And don’t worry – the cooler it gets outside, the less strange this idea will feel.

If you can heat water, you can make tea. It doesn’t matter if you use a kettle, hot pot or a microwave.

Tea is fairly inexpensive. If you don’t already have a thousand kinds stocked up, purchase a few varieties that will appeal to different palates – one fruity, one herby and one mellow, for example – and be sure to have some milk, sugar and honey on hand for those who can’t take their tea straight.

You don’t need a fancy tea service to accommodate your guests, but all the better if you do. You don’t have to use special tea cups, either. As long as your guests won’t burn their hands or the cups won’t melt, you’re golden. Coffee mugs are a great substitute for grandma’s china teacups. Just make sure you have enough.

Once you’ve got the tea serving logistics down, get some baked goods to make your tea party all the tastier. Brownies, scones, muffins and cookies are all worthy tea party fare.

And if the logistics seem stacked in favor of an all-female party, just be creative. You can invite both guys and girls – anyone you know who can enjoy tea and not feel like a sissy for sipping some with good friends.

Use the opportunity to gossip, play a game of poker – regular or strip – or rant your way through midterms. You can also add some of grandpa’s cough syrup to your tea to improve your health or for a pre-game kicker.

It doesn’t matter what you do at the tea party, as long as you have tea.