really set the stage, especially for holiday dinners. Layering etched or vintage glass plates with new, vintage and heirloom china is a wonderful way to create a dynamic plate setting and not having to choose which grandmother or estate sale will have top billing this holiday meal.
Since my mother’s passing last summer, my siblings and I have shifted Mom’s china patterns from place to place, consolidating, extending, rotating some back into the mix at the cottage and some out into our daily rotations back in our own homes. Where will they be used and celebrated the most? I love that we think this way.
Pay attention to the patterns that bring you the most joy or the ones you use out of obligation. If the latter, rehome them to the next generation or better yet, sell them on Marketplace. I recently sold my adorable Christmas china (Mikasa Ribbon Holly) that I had saved up for and purchased decades ago. It wasn’t used much and wasn’t my style anymore- and now a darling young family in town has it and will be creating their own new memories with it. Do this. Find what you love and use it a lot; rehome the rest!
This holiday season will come and go in a blink. Cherish the time around the table and curate a setting that enhances this special moment. Reflect upon those memories past while uncovering new traditions all your own.