Christmas Memories: Christmas Dishes

For many years I enjoyed a favorite Christmas tradition... shopping. You may be wondering... really? shopping? what is so enjoyable about that? And I would agree with you... except in the case of this shopping trip.

This tradition started years ago with my mother-in-law Bonnie. We picked an evening early in the season (often just before Thanksgiving) when "the girls" could all get together. Bonnie and Bibi (my sister-in-law) worked together at the deli, so I would usually pick them up at closing and we would head over to ZCMI and Crossroads malls. Our evening always included Christmas shopping (of course), dinner, lots of visiting and laughter, and buying Christmas dishes... a very important part of this expedition.

Christmas dishes was a tradition started by my mother-in-law many years ago. Each year on this shopping trip we went to the fine china department at ZCMI where each of us girls could pick something to add to our collections. This wasn't our Christmas gift... we got to take our new dishes home right then and enjoy using them!! Through the years I was able to collect a complete service for twelve, including a variety of serving dishes, and even drinking glasses to match.

Our goal each year was to help Bonnie with her Christmas shopping, for our families. Some years we shopped for the men, other years it was for us girls, but most years we shopped for the kids. I especially loved shopping for the kids, because I could pick out the clothes I knew my kids would love, and that I would love to see them in.

We shopped for other things too. One year Bonnie bought Ned (my father-in-law) a great, big book at Deseret Book, which was our first stop. It was so heavy and had to be carried around with us the whole night, we decided from now on that large books had to be purchased at the end of the evening. For years afterwards when we shopped, we lamented (and laughed) about that book.

Another year as we were looking at men's robes that were on sale, Bibi asked me if I thought she should purchase one for her (former) husband. I enthusiastically told her, "yes, you should!!" what I didn't tell her was this... a few months previously when I had dropped her off at home late one evening, I waited to make sure that her husband opened the front door for her before I drove away, through the window I could see him coming down the stairs in his underwear... I think a robe was a good idea.

One year as we were driving home after a long evening of shopping, I asked Bonnie and Bibi if anyone felt like a Keva Juice; I just wasn't ready to be done with our fun yet... and neither were they. I remember how quickly they both responded, "Yes!!" and off to Keva we went.

I miss those shopping days, I have such fond memories of them, but as I use my Christmas dishes this year and for many years to come, I will smile as I remember what fun I had as I was accumulating them.