Monday, July 23, 2012

Heirlooms

For the last couple days the hunk and I have been emptying the kitchen cabinets and packing the stuff in there as tomorrow our maintenance guys are going to replace all our cabinets. It's a job.

As I'm going through the stuff in the cabinets it strikes me that most of it has gone unused since we moved to Baltimore. We have no family within hours. And usually we go to them for holidays--not the other way around so the "special" dishes and glasses and platters I've accumulated over the years--well, they're not getting much use, are they?

Perhaps it's time to pass them one. There are two sets of Christmas glasses. Three special platters. Candy jars for Christmas AND Thanksgiving. Some of my kids decorate for the holidays because they have children. The hunk and I don't generally set out a lot of stuff.

What comprises an heirloom? Is my treasure their trash? The glasses in the picture were given to me by my mother in my hope chest. Someday, I'll pass them on. But I wonder if they'll have any value to my children or grandchildren?

I have a small glass chicken that my grandmother once used in her kitchen to hold sponges and scrubbies on the sink. It sits in my office as a reminder of my grandparents--one of the very few items I have that belonged to them. It's monetary value is probably zero. But it has sentimental value to me because they used it on a daily basis.

So what makes something an heirloom? What things do you keep or plan to pass on to your children?

anny

5 comments:

  1. I have so many bizarre things that are of no value to anyone but me but they remind me of those who have passed and I would never get rid of them

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  2. Yes. That's the way I feel about the cactus glasses and the chicken. The Christmas glasses I acquired early in our marriage so I think THOSE would be something my kids might prize for the same reason I keep the chicken...

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  3. I have my great great grandmother's china. And I plan to pass it on to one of my daughters. We have so many things...

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  4. We don't have much, but whatever there is, I will pass on to my kids.

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  5. You actually can fit all your fond memory stuff into one little cabinet? OMG! My kids will likely require a back hoe and crates to get all my memorabilia out. LOL! I plan to give my special stuff to my kids and grandkids before I croak so that there will be no misunderstanding and no one person who sits at my door with a shotgun and dares anyone to try and get anything. Sigh. Then I'll let them decide whether to toss it on the trash or treasure it like I have.

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