Christmastime Is Here!

 

Hurray!  I am more excited and happy for Christmas this year than ever before.  I'm sure it is because this has been such a trying year in so many ways that I am ready to rejoice in something bright, cheery, colorful and festive.  Over the weekend I joyously got started.  It is definitely Christmastime at our house.

 

This was our Thanksgiving table setting

As you know I always like to give each holiday its due and our Thanksgiving Day was just this past Thursday for those of you from outside of the United States.  Around here, once the dishes are washed and we have settled in on the couch we will usually watch a Christmas themed movie or listen to Christmas music and visit.  The next day, which has become well known as Black Friday for most, is a day I stay home, drink my coffee and relax.  I do not head out in the dark and cold to go shopping.  Not my thing.  But this year, since Thanksgiving fell so late in the month, I decided to go ahead and start putting away the Fall decor in preparation of the next holiday.

 

I am so excited to be using this now!

Along with Christmas decorations I have Christmas china that we use from Black Friday through New Years Day.  I have a pretty little set I started to collect many, many years ago when my son was very young.  It is nothing overly special in that I acquired it from K-Mart, but at the time I recall it being quite the splurge.  The first year I bought a box with four place settings and then the next year I purchased another so that I would have service for eight.  Over the next few years I acquired salt and pepper shakers, the cream and sugar bowl, a chip and dip set and so forth.  The serving bowls and platters were well beyond my budget so I never did acquire them before the store stopped carrying it.  Until this year anyway.

 

My grandmother's china on top and my Christmas china below

Thanks to eBay I was able to purchase two serving bowls as well as a gravy boat to add to my pretty set of china.  The only thing missing is the oval platter, but I am still searching. For years I've told myself I didn't need them and I've always been very happy about my Christmas china as it was.  But now that I've added to my collection I'm just a little tiny bit happier with it.  Actually I am thrilled to pieces!

 

Oh heavenly days!

Is that just gorgeous or what?!

Originally, I had no intention of buying any china because I was actually on the hunt for a set of gold flatware to go with it instead.  Ever since I bought the first place settings I really thought it would be nice to have some pretty gold flatware to go with it because of the gold trim on each of the pieces.  Last month I searched high and low and once again found exactly what I was looking for on eBay.  And of all things I found a seller with a complete set of vintage flatware and the matching hostess set still in its original packaging, never used.  I was so excited!!  On that same day I was getting ready to purchase the flatware set I told my youngest about the china pieces I wanted and had found on eBay as well.  She told me to just "do it".  So I did!

 

Eight new water goblets from Amazon, so pretty!

So this year, instead of buying any Christmas decor or new lights or anything like that, I am stepping up my game for our table.  Since we find the most pleasure in the foods we enjoy at the holidays this makes perfect sense.  And since I am a complete nut about all things dishes and kitchen, especially if it is vintage, this is right up my alley.  And about darned time too!

 

The "new" serving bowls

While my Christmas china is definitely not an expensive set (it was sold by K-Mart after all) I know it may not seem all that impressive or special to a lot of people, but to me it sure is.  It represents a time in my life long ago when money was really tight and we didn't have a whole lot, but I still managed to scrape up enough to add a little something extra to our lives and with patience and hard work have been able to finish what I started well over twenty five years ago (before I even bought my house).  I've essentially completed a dream I had a long, long, long time ago.

 

Who can't use a gravy boat shaped like a sleigh?

I am going to serve a lot of wonderful holiday meals for many years to come.  And I am going enjoy my Christmas china, the gold rimmed water goblets and the pretty gold flatware for the rest of my life.  No matter what may be going on in the world around us we are going to have a very Merry Christmas.