Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved my paternal Grandmother's china and dining room set. I remember Thanksgivings and Christmas's around her table, the very table I now have. The entire family (the grown ups) sat around the table and us kids sat in her kitchen. The table seemed huge, my dad and his brother and sister and spouses, my Grandma, when I was very young, my great grandfather, Grandpa Joe. Sometimes Uncle Leo and Aunt Alice, later, just Uncle Leo. Christmas Eve's at Grandma's the table was filled with appetizers including pickled herring, "cannibal" sandwiches (a Wisconsin delicacy) summer sausages, cheeses, warm kielbasa and all of Grandma's cookies! She dishes of old fashioned hard ribbon candies and different flavors of caramels.
Grandma worked for a restaurant in Milwaukee and she was an amazing cook. Her home kitchen was small with a Norge refrigerator with the pull down handle! She always had something yummy baked in her pantry! Her streusel topped apple pie is our family favorite and my brother's daughters have the recipe and make it too!
When Grandma hosted Christmas dinner, she would set the table with her good china, I believe it was her wedding china. It is a Thompson Pottery Aladdin set and the pattern # is THP49. I've had a request on Replacements.com for years to alert me if they get any in. I've found pieces from time to time on Ebay and Etsy. She had the china stacked in the buffet and only she could take it out or put it away, it was always stacked so carefully. She had many of the serving pieces. After our meals, she would carefully hand wash it and if we were very careful, we could dry it and put it on the table for her to put away.
An ivory plate with a green and black key pattern around the edge, interspersed with flowers - so beautiful and so classic! Now that I am an adult, I have so many questions for her, I didn't think to ask when I was younger, was green her favorite color? Did she buy it a setting at a time, were the the place settings gifts?
My Christmas table this year is my Grandma's china and my wedding china. Lenox Holiday is my wedding china, we were married in December and I thought it was just perfect! Acquired as gifts of place settings and buying pieces here and there - I pull it out in December and use it several times during the month. I think the two patterns look amazing together!
The plate stack was a bit varied. I started with a Tommy Bahama plaid charger, the dinner plate was the Lenox Holiday, followed by my Grandma's Aladdin dinner plate, a Lenox bread plate and an Aladdin berry bowl.
Keeping with the Christmas theme, I alternated green and red bubble boopie glasses and my Waterford Mourne water glasses and maroon and different plaid napkins as well with beaded holly napkin rings. At an estate sale a few years ago, I found crystal knife rests for a steal, so they are making their debut on this table. The tablecloth is a Ralph Lauren herringbone print (it badly needed ironing!) in an eggshell white, so the dishes are the star! As usual, my Towle Candlelight silverware. I have been looking at various gold toned silverware or silver and gold mix, this table has convinced me I need find a set.
I deliberately kept the centerpiece simple a lantern and Lenox Holiday candlesticks on a tan runner trimmed with green and red velvet edging. A Santa hat on each chair rounds out the dining room!
Christmas Eve and Christmas morning my family will have dinner and breakfast in the dining room and I will remember Christmases past.
May your days be merry and bright! Happy Holidays to all!
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