Hi Friends! Happy Tuesday! I hope everyone enjoyed their Halloween last week. We were all excited when we moved to our neighborhood a few years ago to have some trick or treaters, but were very disappointed to learn that nobody comes over here. We had set up our fire pit, played spooky music and I even ran out for more candy that day in case we ran out and then about a half hour into trick or treating we realized nobody came to this neighborhood. We realized then that the good thing was we wouldn’t have to worry about one of us staying home to pass out candy in the future, but we also didn’t get to enjoy any of the Halloween trick or treating until we had a baby, which was this year. 

Even though Logan has no idea what is going on with the holidays yet, I was so excited to get him a Halloween costume and do a little trick or treating with some friends. We had to have a cute theme to our costume so we were Old McDonald Had a Farm. Logan was a cute chicken, Gibson (our dog) was a cow and Ryan and I were farmers. I was able to get everyone to cooperate (for the most part) for one family picture. And then we headed over to our friends house for a couple stops for trick or treating. I loved celebrating Logan’s first holiday and now I feel like we are officially in the “holiday season”. 

So now that we are finally in the holiday season, I am starting a series called Tradition Tuesday. I’m not sure about you, but to me, the holidays, especially Christmas, are made even more special by all of the traditions. There are the traditions I grew up with, the traditions I am still continuing with and the new traditions I am starting with my family. All of them hold a special place in my heart. So, we will be starting this first Tradition Tuesday with Christmas dishes. 

Growing up, I used to look forward to November 1st. This was the day that my mom always changed out her regular dishes with her Spode Christmas dishes. This meant that my favorite holiday, Christmas, was almost here. We wouldn’t decorate the rest of the house until after Thanksgiving so I loved enjoying this first piece of Christmas earlier.

Switching out the dishes became a tradition for my mom and I. When November 1 would hit she would always ask me “Do you know what today is?” And it was something we would both be excited about. It was something we both missed doing together when I went away to college, but she would always tell me she was doing it. I was happy when I moved back home after college and was able to help with this again. And then even when I moved to my own apartment I would go back to my parents house on November 1st so we could do this together. 

Once I moved out, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to get my own set of these dishes. My mom kept trying to get them for me as a Christmas gift, but I would tell her I didn’t have room for them and didn’t want to get them. Well, a few years ago that changed. I think the nostalgia got to me and also just my love of all things Christmas. So, I started my own Spode dish collection. 

So where do I find these dishes? Well, you can pay full price for them, but I always believe in finding a good deal. If you go at the right time, usually in October, you may be able to find some dishes at no other place than my favorite store, HomeGoods. I always grab what I can find when I am there since you don’t know if it will be back next time you go. I know my mom has also found a lot at HomeGoods throughout the years. I was recently introduced to some estate sale auction websites and saw some Spode dishes on there. As with any auction, you have to be cautious on what you are bidding so you don’t overpay, but you may be able to get a steal on these. This is something that would also be a great gift. My mom gifted me the first pieces of my collection as a Christmas gift a few years ago. This was a really nice way to get the collection started and then it makes a great gift to continue to add on pieces. 

I love these dishes. Since I also wait a little bit (more on that later) to put up my Christmas decorations, this is something that makes me happy in early November. I am continuing the tradition my mom and I had of putting these out on November 1st, so last week I made the transition over after Halloween. 

I love how festive these make my table everyday. But, these dishes will also be special to use as I do more holiday hosting in the future. It is just the start on how to create your holiday tablescape. 

Stay tuned later this week for another post!