Spode Christmas Tree

I know that not very many people have Christmas dishes. Mine happen to have a story behind them...I remember the first time I ever saw a table set with Christmas Dishes, it was at a Weinstock's (a department store much like Macy's and May Co.). I was 8 years old and I was doing holiday shopping with my Mom and Grandparent's. My Grandpa George loved to go to Weinstock's department store during the Holiday's, he said that they put on the best Holiday dress up from all of the department stores in the area (he was right). I loved how each department would dress up and entire room. The dining room was fabulous! The Spode Christmas Tree dishes were so lovely to look at and it was something that left an impression upon me from then on. I never really told anyone of my desire of having special Christmas Dishes until years later. Now fast forward to 1995, it's June and we are at Ed (my DH's brother) and Lori's wedding and I'm about 8 months pregnant with our 2nd child (Hannah). My husband's Uncle Eddie (mother in laws older brother) realizes that he never gave us a wedding gift or even an engagement gift (no big deal, we never expected him to). So he asks what kind of house we have, I say Country Style (my decorating style that is). So after the wedding this lovely figurine arrives from Scotland...it's broken. I contact my mother in law and we send it back to Scotland and another one arrives...it too is broken. Did I mention that these are numbered figurines? They were done by a local Scottish artist and were highly valued (I find this out later). So my Mother in law takes a trip to Scotland to visit her brother just after Hannah is born. She calls me from the store where the figurine was purchased...they don't want to send another one ( I can understand that). She asks me if there was anything else that I would like instead...I ask her what kind of place/shop is it and she tells me it's a fancy one that sells jewelry, china, figurines etc. I ask her is they carry/sell the Spode Christmas Tree pattern and she tells the ladies in the shop what I said...they all started laughing really loudly. I took that as a "yes". So I told her my deepest desire, that of all things I ever wanted since I was a little girl, it was to have my own Spode Christmas Tree dinnerware. I had no idea how much the figurine was worth, I had no idea if I would get just a bowl or a plate or just a teacup and saucer. I left it all to my mother in law to work it out for me. A while later a couple of rather large boxes arrive at my door step. They're from Scotland. I looked at it and said...What the heck did she (my mil) send. Just having had a baby a few weeks earlier it could have been things for the kids, I didn't really know. I opened up the boxes and immediately started to cry. I couldn't believe my eyes. Plates and teacups, soup bowls, saucer, salad plates and bread plates, serving bowls and more! I not only had a complete 5 piece dinnerware service for 4, I also had serving pieces like platters and bowls, creamer and sugar bowl salt and pepper. I could set a formal table, I was floored! Those dishes (as silly as it sounds) mean the world to me! They are something that I will pass on to my own children! Since then, I've managed to add to the place settings here and there and am now up to a service for 12. I will continue to get more as the years go by (and as I find a good sale on them). My hearts soars every time I display them in my China Hutch. From the love of an Uncle for his Nephew and his pregnant wife, my holiday wishes from my childhood came true. I could have never have dreamt of something so wonderful. I don't know if I would ever of had bought these dishes on my own without the "boost" from Uncle Eddie. To him I will always be thankful! I tell my children the story of our Christmas Dishes every year as I put them out on display. This year I'm actually going to take pictures of the table all dressed up and make a scrapbook layout and tell Uncle Eddies story so everyone who looks through the scrapbook can read it!