For years I have dealt with a level of guilt when it comes to glassware and china that belonged to my Mom. Unwanted by the family, and devalued in a market disinterested in fine tableware, it has sat boxed in the back of my closet. Mom used these vintage pieces every holiday. Yet each year December came and December went, and the boxes remain in the closet undisturbed. Do you find yourself in the same dilemma? Here are some entertaining ideas to put those family heirlooms front and center this Christmas season.
Miscellaneous Glassware — In our home Christmas lunch with my gal pals is a time for food, wine, girl talk, and until last year, paper plates. Among Mom’s things there were several boxes of ruby and clear glass. There was not much that matched, but it is an interesting conglomeration of cake stands, salad plates, platters and a punch bowl that hadn’t been used since my high school graduation party. Not quite certain how to use this hodgepodge of glass, I lined it up dining room table to studied what I had. There were several pedestal cake stands that, when stacked by graduating size, formed multi-tiered servers for my finger foods and holiday pastry. Few of my plates matched, but when stacked alternating the clear and the ruby glass, worked as if they were intended that way. There were just enough pressed glass serving pieces for my hors d’oeuvres, and the punch bowl filled with sangria made the perfect finishing touch for my table.
Fiesta Ware — Due to the prolific nature of its production, Fiesta is a common find in many homes. I like to use ours to add color to my Christmas Eve buffet. Durable, colorful, and trending heavy this year, it is perfect for the holidays. Not certain of the era of your Fiesta? Here is the basic breakdown by color. Fiesta was produced from 1936-1972. The 1936 line featured 36 different pieces and five colors: cobalt blue, light green, yellow, ivory, and “Fiesta Red.” Turquoise was introduced in 1937. In 1951 cobalt, light green and ivory were replaced with gray, rose, dark forest green and chartreuse. Red, which had been dropped in 1943, returned in 1959 and medium green was also introduced that year. In 1969 the entire line was restyled and a 19 piece ironstone line was introduced that ran in production until 1973.
Currier and Ives — We are normally a “grab it and eat” kind of family, but on Christmas Day we go full out traditional, with a sit down dinner. This is one of the few times I use Mom’s Currier and Ives blue and white transfer-ware from Royal China. This sturdy china, decorated with scenes of Americana, enjoyed a 36 year production run from 1950-1986. The pieces include full dinner settings and a number of serving pieces, my favorite being the turkey platter. While they were sold in major department stores, many housewives in the 1950’s, like my Mom, acquired them when they were given as premiums by the A&P grocery chain. Most pieces of this china will have a back stamp denoting the company and while we used the blue and white, the pictorial transfers are also available in green, brown and blue.
Fine China — Be it Haviland, Pope Gossard, Copeland, or the product one of the other porcelain factories from the first half of the 20th Century, fine china can be the most intimidating of all family heirlooms. Personally, with it’s delicate beauty, the thought of it getting damaged puts me off. That excuse was bashed when I remember that Mom served New Years Day dinner on it for over 50 years! I decided to give it a try; after all, it would make a lovely table for our first family dinner of the New Year. What I didn’t anticipate were the conversations at the table as each person in turn shared their memories of the dinners served on this china at Grandma’s house. The dinner was filled with a lot of laughter, a few tears time with the family we will long remember. Until next time…Linda
Irvington resident Linda Kennett is a profession liquidation consultant specializing in senior downsizing and the liquidation of estates and may be reached at 317-429-7887 or lkennett@indy.rr.com, or follow her on FaceBook at www.facebook.com/WhatsInTheAttic
