The return of the silver punchbowl.
Years ago I shared my famous eggnog recipe, which referenced the silver punch bowl that I bought on ebay. Before that, way back in 1991 Kathleen and I purchased a cut glass punch bowl from Walmart for $5? to for our christmas sangria party that year. We used it later for countless parties, school receptions, and of course our Christmas party. Then in 1995? Wasn’t it? That my brother-in-law’s mother Dorothy gave us a second glass punch bowl with roses on it. Then we created the cranberry orange punch to serve in one punch bowl for the folks who did not love egg nog, which was in the other punch bowl.
In 2002, or 2003? The original punch bowl cracked down the middle and split in half. Luckily that year it was sitting on top of the buffet filled with christmas balls, because I had purchased the silver punch bowl off ebay.
In 2011 we moved to Colorado, and both punch bowls survived the journey. In 2012 when we held the party back in Oklahoma city we took the silver punch bowl, and borrowed a punch bowl from Kristi Swinney. 2013, the silver punch bowl was back in place for our last colorado christmas party. In 2014 when we were getting ready for our party I found the rose punch bowl but could not find the silver punch bowl. We had left a multitude of boxes in a storage unit in Colorado, so I thought I’d left it there. At the last minute, we borrowed Kristi Swinney’s punch bowl again. In 2015 we made a trip to Colorado and brought home ⅓ of the boxes, including, I thought, the elusive silver punch bowl.
Here is the absolute truth. I saw the silver punch bowl, I DID put it in a box, (we were consolidating), and put it in our SUV. Any box labeled Silver came with us, because I knew Christmas party 2015 would be our 25th party and I planned to lean in on the silver decor. When we got home and put the boxes away, I could not for the life of me find the silver punch bowl. I convinced myself I must have left it in the storage in Colorado. When we finally brought home the Colorado storage unit items, I was sure I would find it. But alas I did not.
Since then, I have opened every single box labeled kitchen, or dishes, and of course silver. Still no silver punch bowl. I have alternated between believing that our friends the Powells, who accompanied us on the trip in 2015, had stolen it, and suspecting that I had accidentally donated that box with other items we chose to leave in Colorado.
A few years ago, my former step-mom and mother to my siblings passed on her family's giant punch bowl. A generous gift that I suspect was ultimately because no one else wanted it. We have used that bowl, our rose bowl, and Kristi Swinney’s bowl (that I still have custody of) in regular rotation, every Christmas.
In October, while looking for a photo album in my boxes in my in-laws garage I opened a box labeled books and discovered the missing silver punch bowl! I also found a ceramic christmas bowl (one of 3 that Kat asks about every year), and crystal dessert bowl (1 of 6 that I noticed was missing christmas 2022). It was a Christmas Miracle!
When I shared with my friends Javi and Jodi that I had found the silver punch bowl in a box labeled books, Jodi suggested I should have looked there first, remembering the search for our dinner plates in the great unpacking of 2016. 11 boxes labeled plates and not a single regular stoneware, microwave, dishwasher safe dinner plate. Every single blessed china plate, party plate, glass plate (not microwave safe) anyone could ever want, but no dinner plates. When we finally found the plates? In a box labeled FRAGILE Books in Matthew’s handwriting.
So be on the lookout for the christmas surprise silver punchbowl at this year’s party!
Merry ho ho ho.
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