Organizing Holiday Serving Dishes
It may seem a strange project for the Fourth of July, but today I decided to use a spare hour to organize my holiday serving dishes. This was a task that sorely needed doing, as I have been hosting holidays long enough that I have serving dishes and other pieces for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's. Until today they were stored in one packing crate, which had to be unpacked each time I wanted to get at the pieces I needed.
I collect Halloween ephemera, so the Halloween crate was the biggest project. Everything from vintage candy bowls and antique paper goods to ceramic witches and scaredy cats was wrapped in acid-free paper, and then nestled into packing crates (one for vintage items, one for more current ones) with plenty of recycled cardboard excelsior for cushioning. By the way, if you enjoy either collecting Halloween items or just reading about them, there are several great reference books; one of my favorites is Dan and Pauline Campanelli's Halloween Collectibles.
For Christmas and New Year's, chunky white serving pieces in warm red and piney green were wrapped in soft, clean dish towels (I have an endless supply, and am always glad to find a way to re-use these workhorses), while the holiday table china (soft green with a gold band for the main meal, and plates emblazoned with vintage holiday ornaments for dessert) was cushioned by china separators and then zipped into quilted china safes. The New Year's martini set and champagne glasses were wrapped in felted plastic and nestled into a honeycombed moving box.
The biggest pieces were the Thanksgiving platter, which is a mid-century piece emblazoned with a wonderful graphic of a peacock and a pheasant, and the Thanksgiving roasting pan. The latter remains in its original packing, down to the plastic sleeves that protected the grips during shipping; the former is a sturdy piece that slid right down the side of the packing crate. Other pieces specific to this holiday -- the earthenware cranberry mold, a turkey gravy boat and covered dish -- were also wrapped against harm in cotton towels, and packed in recycled excelsior.
Finally, each crate is clearly labeled on the outside, and taped to the underside of the box top is the contents. A copy of the contents also went into the home file, for insurance purposes.
I collect Halloween ephemera, so the Halloween crate was the biggest project. Everything from vintage candy bowls and antique paper goods to ceramic witches and scaredy cats was wrapped in acid-free paper, and then nestled into packing crates (one for vintage items, one for more current ones) with plenty of recycled cardboard excelsior for cushioning. By the way, if you enjoy either collecting Halloween items or just reading about them, there are several great reference books; one of my favorites is Dan and Pauline Campanelli's Halloween Collectibles.
For Christmas and New Year's, chunky white serving pieces in warm red and piney green were wrapped in soft, clean dish towels (I have an endless supply, and am always glad to find a way to re-use these workhorses), while the holiday table china (soft green with a gold band for the main meal, and plates emblazoned with vintage holiday ornaments for dessert) was cushioned by china separators and then zipped into quilted china safes. The New Year's martini set and champagne glasses were wrapped in felted plastic and nestled into a honeycombed moving box.
The biggest pieces were the Thanksgiving platter, which is a mid-century piece emblazoned with a wonderful graphic of a peacock and a pheasant, and the Thanksgiving roasting pan. The latter remains in its original packing, down to the plastic sleeves that protected the grips during shipping; the former is a sturdy piece that slid right down the side of the packing crate. Other pieces specific to this holiday -- the earthenware cranberry mold, a turkey gravy boat and covered dish -- were also wrapped against harm in cotton towels, and packed in recycled excelsior.
Finally, each crate is clearly labeled on the outside, and taped to the underside of the box top is the contents. A copy of the contents also went into the home file, for insurance purposes.
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