Let's talk dishes today, shall we? There was a time when I owned three complete sets of dishes. And there were only two of us in the family and we didn't live anywhere near family. I wasn't hosting any holiday dinners or family gatherings. I just had a lot of dishes.
Now there are four of us and we are down to one set of dishes. I'm not a big entertainer, so I rarely need more than the 8 plates we have. On those rare occasions that I do, I improvise with paper plates or serve the children meals on the smaller plates that match our dinner plates.
I used to have Christmas plates. It wasn't a full set of dishes, but I had a dozen or so plates. For 11 months each year they would take up valuable, premium, cabinet real-estate. I also had some Christmas mugs that crowded my mug shelf.
But you know what? My Christmas dinner and my Christmas cookies taste just as good when I eat them off my blue, everyday plates. And my coffee warms me up just as well when I drink it out of my everyday mug.
I don't need special dishes for special occasions. I don't need good dishes and everyday dishes and holiday dishes.
By not having multiple sets, I don't have to spend any time deciding which dishes to use. I also don't have to spend any time or energy getting the special dishes out of storage to use or putting them back.
I have one set of dishes and I use them every day - because every day is a special occasion in my world!
Confession time....I have WAY too many bowls. I have bowls that match my dishes, bowls I bought when I was first married and love, and bowls a potter friend made for me. I love pottery bowls. I do use them all - but not all the time.
And here's a photo confession...
I have two pumpkin mugs that we use only in the fall (I have a pumpkin teapot, too). My daughters love them and drink hot chocolate out of them every morning. Plus, they were made in my hometown which happens to be the pumpkin capital of the world. So that justifies it.
The thing to remember in all of this is....keep what you love and use. Only you can decide that. If you love your set of china and your Christmas dishes and you truly use them....then keep them! I only used mine out of guilt and obligation. Having them brought me no satisfaction. Getting rid of them did.
My tip for wanting some special seasonal items....make them seasonal rather than tied to a particular holiday. For example...winter themed towels, mugs or dishes will be used longer than Christmas ones. But we'll talk holiday and seasonal decorations another day.
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We really need to meet and have a cup of tea one day! I love bowls! Just bought a couple of 'new to me' Pyrex bowls recently.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad I had the foresight when we were getting married to not register for fine china. I opted for those cheap packs of white plates and minus a few bowl tragedies they have held up great and white goes with every season! I just couldn't stand the thought of people spending fifty or sixty dollars on a bowl or two when we were struggling to pay rent! I love getting things in solid colors (tablecloths, candles) because then they can be used for a variety of purposes.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure I could downsize a lot still in the kitchen so thank you for the motivation!
Love your pumpkin mugs :)
Solid colors are definitely more versatile than patterned things. I think versatility is the key...anything that is limited to one particular holiday quickly becomes unnecessary clutter. I know some people love that kind of stuff and that's fine for them.
DeleteYou made some good points here. My dishes are a hodgepodge of blue and white. I have one small set of china that has very special connections for me, but since our local family that eat with us number six and it's a four place set, I seldom ever use it. I need to go through my dishes cupboard and make some decisions about things that seldom see use. I just put a plastic plate in the donate box tonight, so this might be a good time to go for it!
ReplyDeleteMy every day dinner (blue onion) plates that we use the most came from my Grandma and I don't remember ever seeing her use them. My desire is to not follow her example in keeping so many things "for nice" or keeping them put away because they weren't quite "right."