These are my Poinsettia & Ribbons Christmas dishes. I started collecting this pattern about 8 years ago when I bought a set half price at K-Mart after Christmas. That year I got a service for 4 of the dishes, as well as a set of salt & pepper shakers and a gravy boat. Naturally, K-Mart never had them again, but I learned that many people had matching pieces on EBay. This is my first year with the stemmed goblets, and I live in fear of breaking one. I have seen them on EBay several times and wanted them, but wasn't willing to pay the asking price of $8 each (plus shipping). A couple of months ago, someone had 12 of them for about $3 each (including shipping) and I couldn't resist. I have many other matching pieces that are not on the table, including flatware, but I decided this year to use the gold flatware my mother-in-law gave me.

There's a funny story about the bowls in the picture. I was at a local store here called Ames and saw a woman trying to return two sets of bowls. When they told her the bowls didn't come from Ames and she would have to return them to wherever they came from, I approached her and offered to buy them from her. I think at first she thought I was a little strange, but when I explained that I had several sets of dishes that matched her bowls, she was happy to sell them. They had been a gift to her and she had nothing else to go with them.

I bid on napkin rings several times and stopped when the price got too high. Then one day, I misspelled "poinsetta" and found a whole new bunch of auctions where hardly anyone was bidding. Since then, I have typed in both versions whenever I search.