Use the Good Dishes

Post written by: Kenzie

With the holidays drawing near, it seems like there's always something to do. Decorate the house, battle the crowds to shop for gifts, deep clean everything before the guests come to town, plan and prep a monstrous, glorious meal that still won't turn out just as perfect as you hope.

I know that this is life - fast-paced and stressful - and it seems to be even more so at this time of year. Now this isn't a post saying to slow down, to not worry about a big meal and so what if the Christmas ham gets dropped on the floor, to sit quietly with loved ones around a fire with a mug in your hand and just breathe (cue the eye roll). Of course, I think it's important to slow down, but sometimes that's just not possible and I get that. 

So, this is not a post about finding your zen in a hectic holiday rush. This is a post about using the good dishes. You know the dishes I'm talking about: the ones that are displayed in a kitchen hutch like a museum or stowed away out of sight completely, the ones with a fancy floral pattern around the edges or made of El Doradoan gold that Cortez himself forged into discs the way your grandma describes them.

These dishes are reserved for the most special of occasions which usually includes Christmas. And that's great. Yes, use the good dishes for Christmas dinner, but why not also use them on a Tuesday afternoon? Why not dump your Panda Express takeout on the good dishes and start some Netflix? And yeah, go ahead and let the dog lick up the scraps from the good dishes while you're at it.

Let me back up a bit.

Just the other day, my mom, a family friend, Kelly, and I headed to the Woodlands for some holiday shopping, mainly to Barnes and Noble. Yes, they have a Starbucks inside and when you get a $2 off coupon after checkout, you have to get some coffee. So the three of us sat around with our purchases and chatted. 

Somehow, I got to talking about how when I was younger I would do things like save my favorite Valentine's Day candy (the chocolate with coconut) for last and eat all of the other ones I didn't like as much first. My thought was to save my favorites for last mostly because of that old adage "save the best for last." I did the same thing with candles. If I got a candle that I loved, I wouldn't burn it as much as I really wanted to in order to make it last longer. But then, by the time I got around to burning it, the scent would have faded or morphed into a different scent that wasn't nearly as good.

All of this talk prompted Kelly to interject with, "It's like using the good dishes." She went on to talk about how people have these fancy dishes that never even get used. So what's the point? Why have beautiful things that don't get to be enjoyed? Why save your favorite chocolate for last when it won't taste as good?

This Christmas season, and throughout life really, I say eat your favorite chocolate first and burn the best candles all the time and use the good dishes. Use them for Christmas dinner but also for a bowl of Ramen noodles in front of the TV. There's no point in waiting for something extra special. If you have something you love, enjoy it.

Sorry for rambling.