Growing up during the holidays, one of the things I remember most is my mother setting the table on Christmas Eve. Dressed up in her Christmas best, she would carefully remove each piece of Christmas China from the cabinet placing it all around the table in preparation for the big day.

Every plate was rimmed in gold with a hand painted Christmas tree and holiday snow scene at the center.  And I would watch her with anticipation, knowing that tomorrow, we’d all gather around the table and for one day eat off the fanciest plates I had ever seen.  Yes I had an obsession with table settings even back then.

Year after year we’d gift my mother new pieces to add to her collection, a collection that still graces her China cabinet today. As I grew older, and adopted my own holiday traditions I knew this was one I wanted to keep.  But choosing a collection; which pattern, which brand…seemed daunting.  How do you choose?

I had actually been putting off choosing a pattern for years now.  That was until the Vietri Lastra Holiday collection, and like a fine wine or a great piece of art it just spoke to me.  When I saw those hand painted trees I honestly gasped out loud…honestly.  And I just knew this was the collection I had been waiting for. The Lastra Holiday collection was the perfect mix of lighthearted whimsy and pomp and circumstance.

Complimenting the Lastra, or any bar cart, the Drop Glassware Collection is mouthblown in Veneo, Italy.  I first spied the Drop Glassware Collection during The Southern C Summit this past summer and added them to my cocktail cabinet right then and there.  The collection is both playful and classic, plus look how beautifully it shows off my favorite holiday sangria recipe.

Lastra Salad Plate

When starting a collection salad plates and baking pieces are a great way to go.  You can easily layer salad plates on top of your everyday tableware and still get the look you’re going for. Then each year you can slowly add in the additional pieces to complete your collection.  How gorgeous would these Lastra Salad Plates look on a red dinner plate!

Lastra Salad Plate | Lastra Square Platter | Lastra Baker

So this year, for the very first time, I’ll begin my own Christmas Eve tradition and my Lastra will be the star of the show.  Tell me friends do you have a holiday table tradition?  Truly, MKR

P.S. My friends at Vietri want to help you start your own collection this year, so use code WOM50 and take $50 off any $200 purchase.  Happy collecting!