Holiday Preparations

[taxlady]

I honestly don't remember our china pattern. I know it had a gold rim, so it was expensive, which is why we didn't use it more often. It is like owning a Ferrari and being afraid to drive it.

CD

Yeah, I was just thinking what's the point of having fine china and crystal if it almost never gets used. That's why I use the sterling silver cutlery on a daily basis and use crystal glasses 99% of the time I serve alcohol. I have some fancy porcelain vases and plates, but not the kind of plates you eat off of. They are just decorative. I guess I worry more about fancy plates breaking than crystal glasses.

 

[dragnlaw]

Mom had a beautiful set of Limoges with a gold & black Greek Key around the edges. It came out for all friends and family get togethers - holidays or not. If we sat at the dining room table then that's what we ate off of.
When she died my sister and I said my other sister should have the set (14 or 16 places). She entertained a bit more fancifully than we two and besides - she could afford to replace pieces should any get broken.

 

[caseydog]

Yeah, I was just thinking what's the point of having fine china and crystal if it almost never gets used. That's why I use the sterling silver cutlery on a daily basis and use crystal glasses 99% of the time I serve alcohol. I have some fancy porcelain vases and plates, but not the kind of plates you eat off of. They are just decorative. I guess I worry more about fancy plates breaking than crystal glasses.

That stuff is my ex-wife's problem now. I let her have all of it. You can barely give china, crystal and silverware away anymore. Nobody wants it these days.

CD

 

[dcSaute]

nephew related their (3 brothers...) experience on cleaning out his mother's home after she went into "Memory Care" aka Alzheimer issues . . .

the kids had everything they needed. as they sorted through all their childhood memories . . and tossed all of it in the dumpster.

. . . .a set of crystal glasses - only used for holidays and super-special occasions . . .
boom - right into the dumpster . . .

my kids are going to need 5-6 dumpsters to clean this place out . . .

 

[Andy M.]

When I divorced, I got two place settings of Corelle and silver ware (actually stainless steel ware) and two pots/pans.

When my uncle passed he had some nice china that we now use twice a year.

 

[dragnlaw]

Facebook has a market where you don't pay/sell. Things are gifted/given for free. Amazing how many people are willing to take something good. Even learn to treasure them in the end.
These markets turn around. There are people out there that are still interested.
I'd rather give something away for free and if the taker is willing to put in the work to hang on to and/or resell them, good for them. Rather that than the dumpster/landfill!

 

[Jade Emperor]

@caseydog you are right, though. When I was volunteering for the thrift shop, the only way we could sell off china was if it was a complete set, no chips or scratches and from a recognised brand. Other than that, it was worthless. We did try to set up a giveaway program for people who were in dire need, but head office stopped us because the giveaway items still took up valuable real estate in our store.
Cut glass was even harder to move.
Tastes change and people don’t want grandma-ware anymore.

 

[Silversage]

I donated all of my fancy china and crystal 30 years ago. That being said, my current everyday plates are bone china. They are plain white with no embellishments and go straight in the dishwasher.

 

[medtran49]

I figured I'd give my mother's china to whichever DGD struck out on their own first to use for their every day dishes. I just can't talk myself into using them every day.

 

[caseydog]

When I divorced, I got two place settings of Corelle and silver ware (actually stainless steel ware) and two pots/pans.

Sorry to hear that. My family had Corelle plates, and it turns out the ceramic they were made with was durable, but actually sucked the heat out of foods. I could never convince my family later in life when I learned to cook that it was true. My sister still has some Corelle bowls. My parents had a Corningware cutting board, and wondered why their knives were always dull. "But it is so easy to clean."

CD

 

[Steve Kroll]

I have some nice china that my parents made me take when they moved into a nursing home. They are nice pieces that were handed down to them, but I never use them myself and I honestly don't know what I will do with them. My daughter doesn't want them.

I did donate my mother's childhood tea set to a restaurant that put them to use. Maybe I can find a home for the dining set, too.

 

[caseydog]

I donated all of my fancy china and crystal 30 years ago. That being said, my current everyday plates are bone china. They are plain white with no embellishments and go straight in the dishwasher.

I have a bunch of IKEA 365 plates and bowls. Plain white. I bought extras, because they were cheap, and if I break one, I have plenty of spares.

 

[dragnlaw]

The problem with a lot of white plates and bowls is that the silverware marks them.

 

[Jade Emperor]

When I was working in thrift, we were very lucky to have a regular customer who would spend a few bucks and take a whole heap of mismatched china off our hands. He ran a trendy cafe where all the coffee and tea was served in old china cups with mismatched saucers/sandwich plates. I know of quite a few places that have embraced this idea, so maybe you could find some outlets that have gone down this path?

 

[Jade Emperor]

The problem with a lot of white plates and bowls is that the silverware marks them.

Often you might be able to clean them up with Gumption.

 

[dragnlaw]

My Denby Stoneware has a matt white/cream coloured centre. It alsp marks quickly. I use a one of those white magic sponges on them and it 'usually' does the trick.

 

[caseydog]

The problem with a lot of white plates and bowls is that the silverware marks them.

My cheap IKEA plates don't mark. My flatware is stainless, not silver, so that may make a difference.

CD

 

[dragnlaw]

DIL also has Ikea and oops my mistake, meant stainless not silver. But my Denby get marked by either.

I discovered that you good silverware is fine in the dishwasher as long as it is NOT touching any stainless. lt tarnishes and stains making it difficult more to clean.

 

[Jade Emperor]

@dragnlaw yes. I remember snoozing through someone rabbitting on about electrolytic reactions between silver and other materials.
It is the reason that it became standard to use mother of pearl spoons when eating caviar. Apparently some kind of chemical reaction occurs when caviar meets silverware and taints it. Also why you need to make sure you wash silverware immediately after eating any kind of tomato based dish. The acid in tomatoes will tarnish your silverware really quickly.

 

[caseydog]

DIL also has Ikea and oops my mistake, meant stainless not silver. But my Denby get marked by either.

I discovered that you good silverware is fine in the dishwasher as long as it is NOT touching any stainless. lt tarnishes and stains making it difficult more to clean.

Our china, crystal and silverwear had 14K gold trim. That stuff never saw the inside of a dishwasher. We had 12 place settings, and did not pay for one single piece of it. We got married in our 30s, and our family and friends were all successful, so we got it all as wedding presents, LOL.

I have to admit we had an amazing wedding. 300 guests, and my dad paid for all of it, as her dad, a genuinely nice guy, did not have two nickels to rub together. Being from Oklahoma, he told his friends that I was "eye-talion." I wasn't offended, I just got a silent laugh out of it. But, that man could cook! I learned a lot from him about smoking meats, especially being patient and "it's done when it's done."

My grandmother bought us a honeymoon... two weeks in the UK. We drove and rode trains all over the UK. I had already been there a few times, but my wife grew up in rural Oklahoma, and she was in heaven. Well, except when I was driving through the lake district -- narrow roads and she was on the wrong side of the car, by American standards. It didn't help that I am a Motorhead. She had some serious white-knuckle moments. She loved track days with me, but the narrow roads and being on the wrong side of the car got to her.

Well, that's probably enough. Funny how something like plates and cups can wake up memories.

CD