Serveware Christmas 2018
Cool Ways To Serve Food
Black or Red Individual Serving Spoons (Asian Soup Spoons)
Find these black spoons and others at World Market Stores or online at BLACK SPOONS.
Find red spoons and spoons in other colors online at MRS. LIN’S KITCHEN.
Serving Plates, Bowls, Spreaders & Appetizer Picks
Pier 1
We love unusual serving devices, like the sleigh chip/dip bowl on the right above, and the dip or condiment bowls in the shape of showman hats. And we love humor, especially the line “To all a good bite” in red on the serving platter on the right. These are really good examples of how to make your holiday entertaining more fun.
Platters and serving bowls account for a great deal of the serveware we are showing here. The Winter’s Wonder serving platter on the left above serves both the basic Winter’s Wonder and Winters Wonder Santa dinnerware patterns, which are designed to be used separately or together. The serving bowl in the center reflects the Winter’s Wonder Santa pattern. The picture on the far right is the beautiful inside of that serving bowl. You’ll see many of the ways they are used in the Dinnerware page.
On the left in the top row above is the Tree Barn serving platter (dolomite,14” x 12”). The hand painted Santa’s Band dolomite platter on the right is 16” x 10”. Pier 1 has several patterns that include rectangular platters and appetizer/salad plates, like the Christmas Town glazed ironstone dishes in the middle row above. The platter is 13.5” x 8” and the salad plates are sold in a set of 4. All the platters in the bottom row have at least matching salad/appetizer plates,. Patterns include from left to right, Park Avenue Puppies, Merrily Modern Trees and Christmas Critters.
The platters in the top row are fused glass. On the left is the Village Barn platter and the Christmas Llama platter is on the right. Both are about 12” x 8.” The serving platters in the bottom row are melamine. The penquin platter is 15” x 13” and the Christmas trailer platter is 16” x 11.25”. The Park Avenue Puppies tray in the middle is 19.75” x 14.75”.
Find these platters that just put a smile on your face, and more serveware, in Pier 1 stores and online at P1 SERVE.
Mud Pie
Mud Pie, based out of Stone Mountain, GA, is a “lifestyle brand that creates gifts to inspire all of life’s sparkling moments.” The company began life in 1998 as the inspiration of Marcia Miller, with three employees and a one page catalog printed at a local photo store. Today, Marcia is the CEO of Mud Pie, which now has 160 employees and 750 catalog pages, each with professionally photographed images of the award-winning apparel, gifts and home décor they design and manufacture. Mud Pie is rightfully famous for the wit and whimsy of their ceramic serveware, They carry that through their entire tableware product line. While they are a manufacturer and their products can be found in many retail stores (including Swoozie’s), they also sell their products through their website.
Each of the ceramic serveware pieces in the top row is enhanced by sayings printed in red. The rectangular platter on the left (11.25” x 7”) reads, “It’s not about what’s under the tree, but who is gathered around it.” The 11.25” x 8” cheese board in the middle reads, “I’ve lost all elf control.” and comes with a spreader. It is also available with two other sayings, “On jingle bell time,” and “He sees you when you’re snacking.” The 12” x 17” oval platter on the right reads, “To all a good bite.” and comes with a fork stamped with “Tis the season.”
The ceramic dip set on the left above reads, “Twas the bite before Christmas” and comes with a serving spoon stamped with “Santa sauce” The tray is 14” x 4.5”, and the bowl is 4” x 2.5”. The plates on the right are 4” diameter and made of porcelain with gold foil detail. Plates are sold individually and read “Making spirits bright,” “Christmas wishes,” Share some merry,” and “It’s the happiest season of all.”
The serving plate above is dolomite and 8” x 8”. It is also available with a vintage Christmas tree visual. On the right is a tin reindeer bread basket. It’s 12” x 19.5”, or add a napkin and use as a dish for chips. Either way, it definitely makes an original statement for your holiday table.
Find these and many more original and delightful serveware pieces online at MP SERVE.
Pottery Barn
Pottery Barn has several signature holiday patterns, including Nostalgic Santa and Nostalgic Christmas which are made of glazed stoneware. The Nostalgic Santa round serving platter is on the left in the top row. These are also used with the Nostalgic Christmas pattern. Next is the round serving bowl (both 13.5’ diameter) and on the right is the rectangular platter (16” x 12.5”). On the left in the middle row is the Santa’s Reindeer porcelain serving platter (17” x 12”). There is also a round serving bowl (11.25 diameter, holds 4 quarts). In the middle is the porcelain Garland serving platter (13” x 17”). On the right are the glazed stoneware Silly Stag round platter (17.25” diameter) and oval platter (19.25” x 6”). The bottom row features their pure stoneware Denver Plaid serving platter (17” x 10”) and Three Tire Server (14: high, plates 7” to 11” diameter).
The pictures above show how beautifully the patterns can mix and match. On the left Denver Plaid is mixed with Nostalgic Santa and Nostalgic Christmas. On the right Denver Plaid is mixed with Silly Stag.
Find these and more holiday serveware in Pottery Barn stores or online at PB SERVE.
Pick On Us
This company that’s been around for 25 years specializes in “eco-friendly tableware & presentation solutions for those who want to present their cuisine with functional elegance.” While they primarily serve the luxury hospitality sector, they also sell online in quantities small and affordable enough that anyone hosting a party can likely take advantage of their offering. They sell mostly products made of bamboo, which is actually reharvested and grows back after each cutting. Bamboo has too many other features that make it amazingly eco-friendly to list here, but if you’d like to know more, you can find that info at WHY BAMBOO IS BETTER.
The top row features appetizer picks, stars (also available in silver and red), snowmen and Christmas trees. In each case there is about 4.5” of pick. The minimum order for these is a package of 100, but prices range from $5.50 to $7.00. See website for 1,000 quantity pricing. The picks in the bottom row can also be used for drink stirrers. Those in the pictures are 6”, but are also available in 4”. They include Santa, a menorah and wishes for Happy Holidays, whichever you’re celebrating. These are priced at $0.25 each, minimum 25 ($6.25). Find these and more holiday picks online at POU PICKS.
Even though there’s nothing seasonable about the serveware in the following pictures, the items are so original that they’re worth including.
The forks (on the left) and spoons (right) are made of reusable bamboo. There are three sizes for spoons(4”, 5” and 6”) and 2 for forks (4” and 6”). The forks are pictured with disposable bamboo tasting cones. The spoons can be used alone much like ceramic tasting spoons. Forks are sold in counts of 100. Spoons are sold in either 100 or 500 count. You can get 100 of either in the 4” size for $40 ($.40 each). The tasting cones are disposable, come in 3.25”, 5” and 7”,sold in packs of 50 with price ranging from $6 to $10 based on size.
On the left above are 2.5” round reusable tasting plates. They are sold in 50, 100 and larger counts ($35 for 50). They are part of a collection that includes two styles of tasting spoons and a 7” x 2.25” triple server, all very popular with caterers because of their elegant appearance and reusability. On the right are bamboo tasting boats. These are available in 5: and 7”. Their minimum quantity is 50 ($10 for the 5” and $18 for the 7”), Even though they are disposable, they stand up to fruits, veggies and sauces, giving you great flexibility and a truly unique serving vehicle.
Find the reusable bamboo forks, spoons and tasting plates and the disposable tasting boats at POU SERVE.
Crate & Barrel
The Twelve Days of Christmas porcelain appetizer plates are not only functional, they’re beautiful just displayed in their stand. There is also a plain white version of plates and stand. Their Conifer cheese board and spreader are in the center. On the right is their Holiday’s Critters platter shown with a set of four matching appetizer plates. In the middle are the Woodland Trees (13” diameter) and Snowfall White (12” diameter) serving platters. On the left in the third row is the Holiday Critters bowl set (6”, 5” and 4.25” diameters, hold 13 to 37 ounces). On the right is their silver cheese knife set with stainless steel blades.
Find these and more holiday serveware in Crate and Barrel stores or online at CB SERVE.
Christmas Tree Shops and & That Stores
Christmas Tree Shops operates over 70 locations, including a few named “& That.” The stores are mostly in the northeast or southeast, but their website, christmastreeshops.com, makes their offerings available to everyone. They have a broad selection of home decor and entertaining items, at amazingly low prices. They’re definitely worth a visit, however you do it. In their stores, this retailer sells most everything individually. On line most everything but serveware is sold in sets.
The pictures above include serveware for their main dinnerware sets. Some have only a serving platter, some have only a serving bowl, some have both.
Two sizes of rectangular glass Nativity Scene platters are available (top row). Other rectangular ceramic platters not associated with dinnerware patterns (second row) are also available. Those shown are representative of what is available.
The “Holly Jolly” serving bowl in the top row is also available with “Tis the Season” imprinted. To the right are “Fa La La La” tidbit plates. Oval and rectangular serving platters are also available in this pattern of white ceramic with red imprinted sayings (“Merry Christmas”, “Ho Ho Ho” are additional sayings). Three sets of adorable tidbit plates are shown in the bottom row.
The serveware above is melamine. The platters in the top row are sold separately. Red Swirl serving bowls are on the left in the bottom row. Serving plates are also available. Red Mousse serving platters are on the right. Both the Red Swirl and Red Mousse serving dishes are sold in sets of two.
Find these serveware items in Christmas Tree Shops and & That! Shops and online at CTS SERVE.
Swoozie’s
Swoozies opened their first store in Buckhead in Atlanta, Georgia in 2001. Half of the store features invitations & stationery and half is devoted to gifts, many of them being personalized. The gift area of the store is theme based, changing with the seasons. The folks at Swoozie’s are passionate about many things, including recognizing and celebrating life’s occasions. There are now ten Swoozie’s stores, mostly in the Southern states, most recently in the Denver area, and swoozies.com. They have treatments for drinkware seen nowhere else, and their sense of humor is readily apparent in all their product categories.
The Reindeer Fa La La Hors D’oeuvres set is on the left in the first row. This is also available with a picture of Santa in the center and “Ho Ho Ho” in place of the “Fa La Las.” Both come with silver plate stamped spreaders, which repeat the themes. The Santa Cheese plate on the left comes with a spreader, and is also available as a 12” x 12” platter. The plaid chargers on the bottom left will showcase white plates or many patterns. The Santa candy dish on the right comes with a scoop, and also available with a reindeer. The scoops are imprinted with “Ho Ho Ho” or “Fa La La” respectively. See these Christmas serveware items and more in Swoozie’s stores or online at SW SERVE.
Oriental Trading Company
Oriental Trading Company has an amazing array of party supplies. They started out using catalogs to sell to teachers, expanded to corporate sales and now sell to everyone online.
Buffalo Plaid rules in the top row. The wooden tray on the left is 9.5” x 18” x 2”. The three tiered ceramic trays are 12” x 6.5”and the stand is metal. The matching bowl on the right 5” diameter and is sold in sets of 4. The black, white and gold Christmas tree and green, red and white Christmas icon candy bowls in the middle row are ceramic and work just as well for dips. The elf bowl on the left in the bottom row is positioned as a candy bowl, but at 8” x 7” it’s good for chips or crackers with a solid color dip bowl. The two-tiered Sleigh Serving Dish is ceramic with an overall size of 10” x 5.” Find these Christmas serveware items and more online at OTC SERVE.
Party City
Lots of party appetizers are easier to grasp and eat when served on appetizer picks. Party City covers the basic holiday shapes as seen in the top two rows. The picks on the left in the third row are intended to be used in cupcakes with wrappers, but can be easily repurposed. Picks can be used for cheese bites or glazed mini meatballs. Wrappers, like those in the bottom row, can be used for baked wonton wrappers filled with dip or salad or meatloaf “cupcakes.” If you have an appetizer like meat loaf “cupcakes” or dip filled baked wonton wrappers, the label like pick inserted into a single portion would make contents immediately clear.
Disposable serving plates are shown in the top row above. The bottom row shows disposable silver serving utensils and an oversized label pick to use with main dishes.
See these holiday serveware in Party City stores. See these picks, wrappers and more online at PC BAKE. Find the serveware and more online at PC SERVE.
Amazon
Spreaders are not only functional, they’re a way to add another touch of color or whimsy to your serving table. We found virtually no holiday spreaders in the stores we shopped, but quite a selection of current or new-in-the-box spreaders and spreader sets on amazon.com.
The items pictured in all rows above are spreader sets. In most pictures the spreaders are obvious, but in a few cases, not so much. For the Reindeer in the second row spreaders are the antlers. The melting snowmen in the second and fourth rows, spreaders are their hands/arms. In the bottom row the spreaders on the decorative wine bottle cheese plates are just a bit hard to see.
The spreaders above are all sold in sets of two, three or mostly four, however they are in the pictures. Some are new designs, and most are sold by online retailers. The two sets in the second row, angels and carolers are not new, but are popular and very difficult to find. These are still in the box and in very good condition.
See these holiday spreaders and sets online at AMAZON SPREAD.
eBay
At eBay we found a number of gently used spreaders no longer in production. If you have been buying holiday spreaders for any length of time, many will be familiar. Some are truly vintage. Most are sold by individuals.
Spreaders in the group above are either sold with serving dishes or holders. Most are vintage.
The top two rows of spreader sets are familiar patterns. The bottom row spreaders are unusual. Both are from Boston Warehouse and new-in-the-box. On the left are “old people” in holiday garb. On the right, the handles are a sled, pine cones and holly, a mitten and a firewood bundle.
Spreaders in the top row qualify as “hard to find” because there were not many made in the patterns (toy soldier, ugly sweater, lighthouse). The Ugly Sweater spreaders are new-in-the-box. The other spreaders are familiar patterns, except for the sleigh spreaders on the bottom right. These are new but not in the box.
Find these holiday spreaders and sets, and many more, online at EBAY SPREAD.