Off season

I don’t have that much china.

Plates, cups, bowls and serving dishes are all from different eras and households  and together they form the daily set we use. 

Fifties memorabilia, a strange small plate with cowboys on them, plain white ones from my grandmother, Chinese  ones: some are nice, some are not so nice.

Never mind, we eat our dinner with all kinds. Everything is functional.

And then there are my three Christmas plates. Special gifts for special days. Do I treat them as such? No. They are in the stack with all the others. I figured, why set them apart and use them only on special occasions? I can use them year round, every day.

So there you have it: no matter which season, I use the Christmas plates we have. I can serve summer antipasti on them, Easter bakes, autumn roasts, and, of course, seasonal cookies  in December.

Sometimes just seeing these Christmas plates makes me happy. Reminding me of winter days, Holidays, seeing old friends and sharing time, watching old movies of trying out new hikes.

OK, so here’s the thought.

Think of these Christmas plates as if they were an event. A live event, only a few days a year. Then think of them as an event community. It makes sense, doesn’t it? Having actual items that remind you of something you like. Just like the community you share thoughts and ideas in, before, during and after the event.

My plates present themselves at random (depending on the dishwasher and whoever empties it), but they never fail to remind me of those few days in December. In February I don’t care so much about them, in the summer they are interesting and funny, and when October and November come, I get anxious for the next month: longing to see them in full swing, in season. Never fails.

In short:

Keep your event relevant year round

Accept the fact that nobody keeps you on top of mind all the time

Surprise your delegates when they least expect it

Be there when you are In Season – big time!

Make sure that you have a basis that is functional

….and share at least one item that we really can use year round. It works!