It took at least three full days to turn the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts ballroom into a winter wonderland fit for a princess, says Susan Rawls. But the wonderment on children’s faces made it worth every last candy cane.

The center’s special events committee has brought the Sugarplum Tea to Suffolk this weekend for the seventh year, said Rawls, the committee chair.

The event beloved by youngsters — little girls who like ballet, especially — was instigated by former chair Betsy Brothers, Rawls added.

“She wanted to do something, because she took her children when they were young to Richmond to ‘The Nutcracker (Suite),’ and they always had a tea, and she thought they had the perfect venue here to do it.”

On Saturday, children wandered through the Sugarplum Forrest with parents and grandparents, having their pictures taken with performers from Ballet Virginia International’s “Nutcracker,” which followed soon after the tea.

“This is her first time,” mom Evelyn Sheehan said of five-year-old daughter Faith. “She likes ballerinas, and she’s very much into the holiday spirit, and we thought she’d love to come to see ‘The Nutcracker.’”

It was a sentiment repeated by just about every other parent. Nancy Ferguson said her three-year-old granddaughter Harper Ferguson-Costin was “absolutely in love with princesses and ballerinas, and she’s been excited for several days to come.”

For some children, however, the Sugarplum Tea was an introduction to the dizzying world of princesses and all things pink and glittery. Youngster Piper Jones had “never heard of it before, so I can’t say she was excited to come,” mom Beth said.

“But she was excited as soon as she came in and saw what it was all about.”

There was even the odd dad in the room, most of them looking a little shell-shocked and likely escaping in their minds to the last time they went fishing. For Robert Grzyvowski, seeing the look on the face of Clair, his four-year-old, made it all worth it.

“We have a book that we love to read with the Nutcracker story,” Grzyvowski said. “We’ve had it two years, and she asks me to read it to her every day. We thought we’d bring her here to the live show, and it’s putting a smile on her face.”

“The idea was to let the characters come down and they get to meet the children and have pictures taken with them and get their autographs,” Rawls said. “It’s a gift for them.”

The Sugarplum Tea and “The Nutcracker Suite” continue Sunday. Tickets for the ballet from 3 p.m. are $25 for adults and $15 for youth. Tickets for the tea, which begins at 1:30 p.m., are $15 for everyone.

To purchase tickets, visit www.suffolkcenter.org or call 923-2900.