Suven's post about Holiday china reminded me of something.
A week before Christmas I was helping my FMIL clean up after a dinner she hosted for my parents (yeah, that was excruciating, let us never speak of it again). She had this new china out that I'd never seen before... a little art deco, but sort of pretty. I complimented her on it and she launched into this diatribe about holiday china. My eyes immediately glazed over, the way they always do when long-married women pontificate on the neccessity of registering for vases and picture frames, the importance of the perfect wedding favor and how I'll learne to manipulate 'my man' into doing whatever I want. (That last one I hear a lot and it completely squicks me.)
Anyway, as she was wrapping it up and I finally came to, she asked if I had registered for holiday china or if there were any patterens that I want. Have I registered for holiday what now? I replied blithely and very diplomatically, 'Oh I don't need holiday china, I have no place to store it, and I don't think I'd ever use it.' She went on to tell me that it's very, very nice to have it and I should start collecting pieces now. I think it's frivoulous and unneccesary and wholly unsuitable for my personality.
So here's the question:
How many of you have holiday china? How often do you use it (like just for Hannukah or Christmas ir for the whole month of december) And how important is it?
ETA: it's important that I add she also has Easter china.
wc0143
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Re: Spinoff... Holiday China
I have holiday china from the Dansk outlet. We did not register for it, nor did we register for any *china*. Our 'everyday' dishes are all we have (and we didn't register for those either ... again, Dansk outlet).
I have a HUGE basement with TONS of storage and pretty much the only reason why I am okay with having holiday china.
I do love my pattern and the outlet also sells matching paper products (which I still have some inventory of but after next year I'll be out and probably would not be able to find it again ... hmm, maybe should get my lazy arse to the Dansk outlet).
swags1016
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Re: Spinoff... Holiday China
We have holiday china that we bought before we were married because 1 year we hosted Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I think I have used it ONCE since then. Mine was a cheap set that I found so I don't care and right now I have a ton of room to store it, when I didn't what a PITA. My father and Step-mother just bought us holiday dessert plates and match gobblets that have to be HAND washed, so I don't think the glasses will be used anytime soon.
I didn't register for holiday china and I didn't care if I had it or not.
wc0143
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Re: Spinoff... Holiday China
Oh and it's only used for Xmas Eve & Day and if I was to do any other holiday related entertaining ... we don't use it for just us.
usuk2004
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Re: Spinoff... Holiday China
Um, if I used Holiday China for the Holidays...then when would I use the rest of my china? Which, by the way, I think is unneccessary in the first place - plates are plates! (maybe I'm just saying that because I didn't get the pattern that I wanted because DH is such a girl and had to pick it out himself! - incidentally, the stuff I wanted is a bit art-deco, too)
kel2004
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Re: Spinoff... Holiday China
I think holiday china is pretty, but I plan on using my fine china for holidays. So if I had holiday china, when would I use the regular china?
MonkeyLuv
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Re: Spinoff... Holiday China
See, that's what I thought. You have everyday china, and fine china and the fine stuff comes out for the holidays. And we didn't even register for fine china! We registered for stuff that's midway between everyday and fine because both our mothers have fine china coming out of their crazy and traditional ears. And also, I just don't like fine china and the heartache of handwashing that accompanies it.
I just can't reconcile myself to all the extraneous crap of housekeeping. Maybe I'm too basic. Or perhaps I just like to annoy traditionalists.
BriBri529
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Re: Spinoff... Holiday China
I just bought holiday sets- 2 sets of 4- grand total 35 dollars on clearance at target. I think it is nice to have but is not worth spending a lot of money on . . .
ETA: I plan on using it for everyday during the holiday season- our fine china is what I would use if I were having x-mas, for x-mas eve I would probably use the holiday pattern.
cocoa
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Re: Spinoff... Holiday China
Posted by BriBri529
I just bought holiday sets- 2 sets of 4- grand total 35 dollars on clearance at target. I think it is nice to have but is not worth spending a lot of money on . . .
ETA: I plan on using it for everyday during the holiday season- our fine china is what I would use if I were having x-mas, for x-mas eve I would probably use the holiday pattern.
totally agree...when the time comes for us to have 'holiday' china....i'll get something simple at target or after the holidays on sale. i look forward to hosting the holidays but i think when that time comes...oh man, we'd have 50 people to have china for!!!
suven
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Re: Spinoff... Holiday China
Well, as you know, I have plenty now!
What I ORIGINALLY wanted to do was just get a nice holiday salad plate that would match my fine china and just use that.
But, my fine china is platinum rimmed, and I couldn't find anything nice that would fit in with it.
Then, when I saw the buffet set (dinner and salad plates only) I thought it was nice. Then, I realized that it had a gold rim, but it came with free matching goblets, and I was in heaven.
But, honestly, I didn't even think about any of this until after my fine china was complete.
I say: registry for holiday salad plates. No one will buy them for you, but at least your FMIL will see that you're making an effort!
Anniegrl
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Re: Spinoff... Holiday China
DH's grandmother wants us to have his mother's Christmas china (his mom is deceased). I have no clue where I'm going to store this stuff .
But, the reason why I chose my china pattern is because I saw a pretty Christmas salad plate that matches my china pattern perfectly and it's Waterford too. So that way I can use DH's mom's Christmas china for maybe Christmas eve and I can use my china with the holiday salad plate for Christmas day. I just have to buy the salad plates now!!!! My place settings were expensive enough - I didn't want to register for even MORE china.
So maybe you can do what Suven said and register for Christmas salad plates.
P.S. I think you should register for 4th of July china too. You'd really score some major points with the FMIL
MonkeyLuv
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Re: Spinoff... Holiday China
Anniegrl... she was positively scandalized when we told her we didn't register for fine china!
She's so cute and insane sometimes. And by sometimes, I mean ALL the time.
We're not registering for holiday china at all. Mostly becuase I know we'll end up getting , never use and have no place to keep it!
Anniegrl
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Re: Spinoff... Holiday China
Posted by MonkeyLuv
Anniegrl... she was positively scandalized when we told her we didn't register for fine china!
She's so cute and insane sometimes. And by sometimes, I mean ALL the time.
We're not registering for holiday china at all. Mostly becuase I know we'll end up getting , never use and have no place to keep it!
Tell me about it. I'm up to my eyeballs in china and glasses. I need a new house for all my breakable things.
Xelindrya
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Re: Spinoff... Holiday China
We have no China and no Crystal.
*shrug* never saw the need
marymoon
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Re: Spinoff... Holiday China
AFTER I get my other china, casual and fine, then i might work on getting some holidat china. I would love to have a set, but theres so much we don't have, it would be sos tupid to have like 2 palce setting each of fine, casual and holiday, so i'll wait until after I have everything I NEED before i get things I WANT. I do want it though, and I'd probably use it form thanksgiving through new year's. Right now I just bought a stoneware set for $13 for service for 8..lol it's cute it has snowmen on it!
Kelly9904
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Re: Spinoff... Holiday China
I have holiday plates! As a child I aways loved them and my family never had them! So last year when my Mom and I Were at the outlets Pfaltzgraff had this set on sale b/c it was a discontinuted pattern so I picked up place settings for 8! DH and I have used them the whole month of December! They are not CHINA per say so I use them like my everyday plates. But Ilove them and I liek the change of scenery! And I agree if i was hosting a holiday I would use my good china! Thats what I got it for!
Easter china is a bit much I feel!
xjulietx
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Re: Spinoff... Holiday China
So far, I have holiday accent dishes to use with my everyday dishes and when I complete my china, there is a holiday accent plate that goes with my pattern. It seems that Royal Doulton understood that the holidays are the time of year to pull out the fine china and they made matching holiday accent dishes for a lot of their patterns. The one for my pattern has the same trim as a my pattern and in the center is a cherub with a sprig of holly or something. Another pattern had a border matching the pattern and in the center was a xmas ball.
I don't think I could justify a whole set of holiday dishes. Accents are the way to go.
And yes, I used my accent dishes all December and will put them away after Jan. 6th
halloweenbride04
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Re: Spinoff... Holiday China
We registered for regular china and holiday china. We were so fortunate to have received all of our regular China. For Christmas my mom bought us several pieces of our holiday china, so I have most of that now too. It's Pfaltzgraff Winterberry.
We didn't do regular china or holiday china! I was tempted by the 75% xmas area in Macy's today but DH said, no, no. MY boss gave me holiday wine glasses but I don't like them either. Nor do I see the need for holiday dishtowels....
lilmrs
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Re: Spinoff... Holiday China
Posted by MonkeyLuv
See, that's what I thought. You have everyday china, and fine china and the fine stuff comes out for the holidays.
These are my thoughts too. I dont know when else I would use my fine china. I want nothing to do with holiday china because I have yet to see a pattern (although I really have not been looking) that incorporates both the catholic and jewish symbols on them. DH is from a jewish family and mine is catholic and I refuse to favor one religion over the other.
