Christmas Dishes
And the stories they tell...
Hello, friend.
Thank you for being here. I appreciate you.
2024 is winding down. In some ways, the year has gone by quickly. On the other hand, it feels like it’s been a long year, right?
I needed a break from writing about serious topics, so this week I decided to share a story about Christmas dishes. Nothing heavy. A bit nostalgic. Mostly, a trip down memory lane. I needed it. Maybe you do too.
Of course, this means I must ask YOU — Do you have a set of Christmas or holiday dishes that you only use this time of year? If you do, how many place settings do you have? Not like it matters. I'm just curious.
Let me know in the comments.
Thank you for taking this trip down memory lane with me. Stories are always better when shared. Can’t wait to hear your Christmas dishes story.
Christmas Dishes
And the stories they tell…
Remember the 80s?
Quite the decade that was. Two of my three kids were born during that ten year stretch. Perms were big. Literally. Big, curly hair was definitely in. Leggings were in style back then, too. Or maybe it was stirrup pants that were more a thing. Or maybe both. I forget. Country decor was popular — remember all those wooden geese?
My mother, two sisters, and I had a lot of wooden geese. We all had the 80s perm, too. There’s a family photo/slide that documents the era perfectly. In that photo we, the three daughters, are sitting on the sofa in our matching, cozy flannel robes looking very much like the semi-frazzled young mothers that we were. When I think about it, that frazzled, frizzled hair was fitting. (Wish I could locate that photo.)
When Christmas rolled around each year, my mother bought three of everything. Three daughters meant gift giving x3. If one of us got a crockpot, all three of us got a crockpot. Same deal for Christmas ornaments, kitchen towels, angels, snowmen, and of course, any sort of wooden geese. (And flannel robes.)
My mother must’ve spent a fortune on all that holiday shopping. I have a brother as well, but he wasn’t included in the annual trio gifting extravaganza. He did all right, too, though. No need to feel sorry for him. My mother knew how to do Christmas. No one went without, including my brother.
My dad sometimes rolled his eyes while mentioning he thought she was going a bit overboard, but if truth be told, he loved Christmas just as much as she did. He never even complained (too much) about all the trips to the grocery store she sent him on whenever the entire family gathered at their house for the holidays. There were not only a lot of gifts, there was a lot of food. But that’s a different post.
One year my mother, sisters, and I decided Christmas dishes would be nice. I don’t remember which one of us came up with this idea or who bought the first set. That’s not the point of this story. The point is, we all ended up with the same set of Christmas dishes. Yes, of course, we did.
After an appropriate amount of browsing, price comparison, and careful consideration, the set that was chosen came from none other than JC Penney. (Remember when everyone got Sears and JC Penney Christmas catalogs in the mail?)
Our chosen set looked a lot like the perhaps familiar to you Spode set that’s long been available at Macy’s alongside their out-of-our-price range gorgeous gold-trimmed Lennox set. Images below via Macy’s.
Our choice was more sensible, which really meant cheaper. By a lot. The Macy’s sets were/are beautiful. But we unanimously agreed that our set was, in fact, prettier. (Pictured below)
Prettier and more economical. We were quite pleased with ourselves for being so sensible about the matter.
That was all fine and good until the year we discovered our JC Penney set was soon to be discontinued. (Perhaps unsurprisingly, the two Macy’s sets are still readily available.)
What was a mother to do?
After all, the four of us did not yet all have a complete twelve-piece setting. A twelve-piece setting was the goal. And not only that, there were all those serving and accessory pieces we all needed. And matching glassware. Can’t forget that. (The matching glassware might be my favorite part.)
Again, what was a mother to do?
Well, my mother kept an eye out. That’s what she did. Wherever she went, whenever she could, she visited a JC Penney store in the area to see if it had any more of our Christmas dishes and/or serving pieces and accessories in stock.
She never gave up the search.
One summer, for some reason I can’t recall, she traveled alone by air to visit my oldest sister who lived/lives in Tennessee.
Lo and behold, while shopping at a Memphis Mall, she and my sister spotted our soon to be discontinued, but not yet out of stock at that particular location, Christmas dishes. They must’ve been so excited to have made such a find. If text messaging had been a thing back then, our four phones would’ve been buzzing like crazy.
My mother nabbed a set of those dishes (might’ve even been two sets, I can’t remember.) She likely guarded those dishes with her life in the airport and on the plane until she delivered them safely into my hands weeks or months later, in time for Christmas, I’m certain.
She lugged the heavy set(s) of dishes through Chicago's O'Hare airport — no easy feat for someone so petite traveling solo. But she was determined and clear on her mission — all three of her daughters would have multiple sets of that particular pattern of holiday dishes.
And, to this day, we do.
Well, my set is missing a dinner plate because one of our golden retrievers got her collar stuck on the lower dishwasher rack once when she was licking off plates (doesn’t everyone let their dogs do that?), and she accidentally pulled the whole rack out onto the floor. It’s remarkable only one plate was broken. The poor girl scared herself silly with all that clanking and crashing. As for me, I learned my lesson about allowing pets to do the prewash.
On a side note, our present pooch Titus, prefers to boldly jump right onto the opened dishwasher door for prewashing shenanigans. Again, that’s a different post. And no, we don’t condone this behavior, but when I turn my back, sometimes he just hops on up there perhaps hoping we won’t mind this time, or better yet, not even notice.
So many memories are meshed into the holidays — some about big moments (like my wedding) and others about quiet moments. Every Christmas memory holds a story all its own — some meant for sharing — others for remembering alone.
Some stories need no words at all for telling. For instance, the must-have colored lights on our tree every year are the story, as are all those sets of JC Penney Christmas dishes my sisters and I continue to set our holiday tables with.
That’s why year in and year out whenever I decorate our tree and prepare my holiday table, those no-need-for-words stories and memories are stirred up every time, never failing to bring me a smile.
Of course, such stories and memories aren’t really about colored lights or Christmas dishes at all. They’re about loved ones we remember, miss, and love forever.
And that, my friend, is why holiday memories are, and always will be, treasures for the heart.
Thank you for taking time to read my Christmas dishes story. (I’ve got more dishes stories, but they’ll keep for another day.)
Now, I want to hear yours! No Christmas dishes, no worries. Share any holiday memory/story that you revisit every year.
Do you have Christmas/holiday dishes, and if so, how many place settings?
Do you have a different holiday item that holds a special memory or story?
If you put up a Christmas tree, do you use colored or white lights?
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I’m taking a little break, so look for my next article in the new year.
Thank you for for reading my ramblings whenever you can. I am so grateful for your readership, ongoing support, and presence in this caring community. I appreciate YOU.
May your holidays be filled with fond memories and lots of love, joy, and contentment.
As always, I see you. I hear you, and I care about what you have to say.
Until next time…
Take care of yourself, be kind to someone, and be a light.
With much gratitude and love,
Nancy
My set is Mikasa that look very much like yours. They were my mom's, but came to me when Christmas dinners were moved to my house when my kids were little. We have twelve place settings, each stored in its own box, living in the basement all year until Christmas Eve, when they come out to join my sister and my family and me. We are the only two left of our original six; using them always brings a touch of melancholy to this lovely season. But I'm so glad to have them!
Oh Nancy, this brought back such lovely memories of my own Mom. She was always so thoughtful and would go the extra mile to make sure we had everything we needed, just like your mom with the Christmas dishes. She always made sure everyone felt special during the holidays x