A Burst Of Autumn At Christmastime

I got a present last night, out of the blue—a whole 10 days ahead of Christmas! And my kids weren’t even jealous! 😊 I’m teasing of course … they were totally jealous, LOL!

My husband and I agreed long ago that we wouldn’t exchange gifts for anything: birthdays, anniversaries, holidays. We buy what we need when we need it and don’t see the point about stressing over gift ideas. Instead, we prefer to “gift” each other with experiences (or trips) in which to indulge together, although not this year obviously. So, it was a lovely surprise when he came in from work last night bearing a gift with my name on it, swearing it wasn’t technically a “Christmas gift.” In lieu of bringing me flowers, he said. So exciting!!

As soon as I saw the “fragile” indication and the tight wrapping, I knew what it was, or at least the general idea: It was a beautiful authentic hand-painted pie plate straight from Poland! Can you believe this?! What a glorious, thoughtful gift! If you haven’t already guessed, half of my ancestry is Polish (on my mother’s side) and most of my childhood was spent under the umbrella of Polish everything—foods, customs, etc. These traditions and memories formed the foundation of my life, even today, as my own family continues to indulge in and pass them down, especially Christmas-related traditions with my Babu & Dziadziu.

As I’ve grown older and really learned to appreciate the importance of family, ancestry, and culture, things that seemingly had no significance for a young girl suddenly mean everything. Like genuine Polish pottery, for instance. I first discovered these collections a few years ago at my local Christmas Tree Shops—yes, the bargain store that sells mixed and seasonal merchandise. A teapot caught my eye because it was beautifully detailed in blues, whites, and reds. There was just something about it that drew me in and when I lifted it off the shelf I saw “Made In Poland” scrawled on the bottom. I had no idea whether it was truly “authentic,” but boy did I want to buy that teapot and everything else in this line of pottery! Of course, I didn’t, though, because they were a little pricey (I can be severely frugal) and to this day I pretty much talk myself out of buying anything for me (oh, my friends could tell you stories of my ridiculousness!).

Anyways, after that day any time I went back to Christmas Tree Shops I would stand there and stare at these pottery pieces, which eventually dwindled to only a few select items here and there. I’m not sure why I felt such passion toward them. I don’t recall seeing anything of the like at my Babu & Dziadziu’s house, but then again, maybe I was just a silly young girl too caught up in her own life to pay attention. Whatever the reason, they reminded me of my grandparents, my heritage, and I wanted them badly. Looking back, I wish I had scooped them up because after doing some research, holy shiitake mushroom sauce are these collections expensive!! Even Amazon—my go-to for everything—doesn’t sell much for less than $50 (not the pieces I want anyway, ha-ha). I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, though, because they are imported goods.

But now, thanks to my wonderful, thoughtful husband, I have a piece of my own, complete with a certificate of authenticity, and I couldn’t be more delighted!! This particular dish is titled “Autumn Burst” and it came from the WR Ceramika (WR Unikat) factory in Boleslawiec, Poland (through a North American importer, of course). In Polish, the word “unikat” means “unique,” and that is so true because there is nothing ordinary about this elegant hand-painted dish. It is stunning and I adore everything about it, even the name (if you follow my blog, you know that Autumn is my favorite season)!

You wanna know the best thing about this gift, though? Not only is it the first in what I hope will be a growing collection, but it’s something new with an old-world feel that conjures up days long past of sitting in my Babu & Dziadziu’s kitchen at Christmastime, just waiting for those butter-slathered pierogis to come out of the oven. Memories I want my children to have, too. But even more, it’s something special and unique—a potential family heirloom—that I hope to pass down to my baby girl one day, filled to the brim with love, family, and a lifetime of happy traditions.