For an Advent by Candlelight the serving pieces can be as simple as paper plates and cups or as complex as china and crystal and silver. The thing to remember is that things have to be hauled in and hauled out of the parish hall. Paper and plastic make it easier.
I would do it all plastic and paper, except that I inherited some glass party snack trays from the women in my family and this is the only time I get to use them.
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I would do it all plastic and paper, except that I inherited some glass party snack trays from the women in my family and this is the only time I get to use them.
This was my mom's pattern. She told me that each lady in the 40s and 50s had a set of 4 or 8 and when some party was planned they would loan them to each other to have enough.
These were also my mom's, but I think they may have been my grandma's before her.
These apple ones are my favorite. They were my Aunt Emma's. I only have 4 of these, but if I could find more at an antique store, I think I would get them.
So, altogether, I have plenty of crystal plates for my Advent by Candlelight table. I love having a place to use these pretty dishes each year.
I have gold cups and also some plastic cups this year. Last year I used see through green plastic cups which I didn't like once I set up my table.
I got these at the end of last year and I think they will supplement the other gold cups nicely.
These mugs were on sale last January for $.40 each. I got 10 of them. Even though they will add weight to my stuff I am hauling to the hall, I decided that I liked them better than either the small glass cups that came with the snack trays or the foam cups I used last year. They were a "splurge" that I think may be worth it. Many women like hot coffee or tea or cocoa in the winter with their dessert.
These light tin trays may be my trade-off for the heavy mugs. I plan to limit my snacks to some cheese and crackers this year. I think I had too much stuff to worry about last year.
My placemats are under the tins. I think I will pack it all in one box this year, because I had to go digging through the Christmas stuff this year for them.
I have used these glass bowls I got at the dollar store, but I am considering using plastic and tin this year because of the weight.
Most of us have party pieces that we could use for an Advent by Candlelight table. The paper goods available today are varied and unique. If I didn't already have the snack trays, I would use paper plates and cups. When it all comes together, it looks very nice regardless of the price or preciousness of the items used.
I will try to take pictures at the event and show you next week how it all came together.