Do you use your formal china?

[Anonymous]

DH and I got some really fancy china that has been collecting dust since our wedding. We have spent the past decade just working, raising kids, and entertaining fairly informally, mostly with other families. We use regular plates and silverware when hosting family dinner parties as the grown-ups are busy with unruly kids underfoot anyway. For Christmas and Thanksgiving we go to either my parents or DH's parents.

The fancy china never gets used!

[Anonymous]

If I had fancy china I would use it. I didn't want it so never bought any.

[Anonymous]

Yep. I do.

[Anonymous]

I use mine roughly twice a year, Thanksgiving and Passover. But I love it, owning it makes me happy, using it makes me happy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I use mine roughly twice a year, Thanksgiving and Passover. But I love it, owning it makes me happy, using it makes me happy.

Exactly this. I don't care about it, but it was important to my MIL.

[Anonymous]

Never. Been married 8 years. Part of that is we don't have a place to display it/store it easily so it's still in the boxes in the basement. I'd like to use it but the idea of taking it out, washing it before and after, and then putting it away again is just too much.

DH said it was not necessary....and he was right. For us, that is. I think if you find a way to use it that's great.

[Anonymous]

Yes.

Mine is a very sleek and simple but beautiful china set, and I do use it when we have larger gatherings, maybe a few times/year.

[Anonymous]

I knew we wouldn't use it, so I didn't put it on the bridal registry. Personally, I don't take much notice of people's dishes.

[Anonymous]

Yes, we use it for special occasions. Birthdays, holidays, celebration dinners, Mother's Day and Father's Day, anniversary, and special visitors for tea.

[Anonymous]

Also for Sunday dinner.

[Anonymous]

We use ours regularly not just for fancy dinners. Got plain white for this reason. Far more durable than other stuff (eg, pfalzgraff) and lighter weight.

[Anonymous]

Very rarely. But it's beautiful and my mother in law bought us a china cabinet -- I love having it on display.

[Anonymous]

I've been married 25 years, and in that time I've probably used my good china on fewer than 50 occasions. I do have a nice china cabinet to display it, so there's at least that.

[Anonymous]

Not often but I'm trying to change that. Finally got chairs for the dining room so we had family dinner in there tonight using china and crystal water glasses. My girls seemed excited about it, and somehow the fancy stuff made them actually willing (even eager) to set the table.

It's all going in the dishwasher though, and if it doesn't stay fine or if a piece breaks I'm not going to worry about it - it's not super cheap but it's all easily replaceable.

But I think I will like using it. We have lots of meals that are individuals grabbing something / me just feeding kids / etc., so I really like the idea of making certain family meals a chance to slow down and enjoy each other's company.

[Anonymous]

3 or 4 times a year.

DW is the one who wanted it. But if it's not Thanksgiving or Christmas (and sometimes if it is), she's the one who says, "why get it out? It's such a pain to wash it and put it back."