Use the Good Dishes

One of my favorite things about any holiday, especially at my mother's house, is dressing the table.  My mother has, to my recollecting, three full sets of fine china, two full sets of silver, at least one set of crystal water glasses, and too many fine serving dishes to enumerate.  I know that a lot of families have these nice things either on display or locked in a chest somewhere gathering dust, but my mother, God bless her, breaks them out at every occasion.  It is really a blessing that she has enough pieces to use them at our over-large family gatherings, since it is often my family of origin, my in-laws, and my sister's husband and stepson and sometimes her husband's uncle.  Whether it is Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, or just someone's birthday dinner, we love to use the good dishes.  It's fun!  It makes any occasion "special," and makes everyone feel like we're really celebrating something worthwhile (at least it does me).  I also think it shows respect to the people in attendance.  It sends the message that they are worthy of your best things.  Sure, if you use those things it is possible something will get broken, but if you don't what's the point of having it?  I feel that way about a lot of things, actually.  There's a country song that says it all, "wear your red dress and use your good dishes, make a big mess and make lots of wishes..."  (How You Live, by Point of Grace).  I really think that is the way to live.  I let my kids play in their good clothes (sometimes), I encourage the kids to have fun making crafts and art and science projects on my kitchen table.  So what if we get paint on the counter?  It'll wipe up.  And if Warren's new shirt gets strawberries on it, either it will wash out or we'll have a new shirt to eat strawberries in.  I don't mean I'm completely careless.  I try to make Nathan wear the older shoes to play outside in the dirt, and I have a spare bib in my diaper bag.  I usually make the kids eat on plastic plates for regular meals.  But on special occasions, even they get to eat on the fine china.