Only once did we use paper plates at Thanksgiving.....that was at my SIL's.

Shocking! :-))) My SIL was not big on either cooking or entertaining. It was one of those memorable meals. Not because it was good, either! Made for a great story for many years. LOL

We use our Corelle for all meals. Not fancy here !

There are very nice strong plastic plates available at Costco. Even if one has beautiful tableware, that doesn't mean they always have enough for a really large holiday dinner.

https://www.costco.com/kirkland-signature-elegant-plastic-plates%2C-50-count.product.100519419.html

Ikea is now selling its version of Corelle. I bought a dinner plate, which is a little smaller and a little thinner than my Corelle. It was 79 cents.

We are taking Thanksgiving dinner to my mom at her memory care, so we will use Solo plates. I toyed with bringing her china, but it will be too heavy.

My aunt had me using Solo plates for a couple of holidays, and it is easier but I like to set the table with the real thing, even if it’s mismatched. And besides, if you use disposable plates what do you do for flatware?

I’ve Thought about getting some melamine, there are some lovely patterns! Durable, light, easy to store.

We'll be using heavy duty Thanksgiving themed paper plates. Much less clean up which is fine with me! We use my grandma's silverware so we're a little bit fancy. lol One thing I don't like is plastic ware to eat a big meal with.

I use my nice dishes because they just sit in a cabinet otherwise. I don't mind washing dinnerware, it is pots and pans I despise. I seem to get them really well encrusted! Both sides of my family use those heavy Hefty disposables, and I am fine with that. But they use disposable fork, sometimes those are a bit flimsy. I probably just load too much on the fork though, too many good cooks in our family.

I was going to UP the quality of my holiday plates by buying beautiful, decorative, white, Bone China. I waited until Saturday, when they'd be half off at The thrift store....GONE!

Sometimes I do paper plates but won't this year since we only have 5.

DH family used paper plates and plastic flatware - impossible to eat with or cut anything with those and really was NOT a celebration meal. We started bringing our own flatware and doubling up on the paper plates. Others decided that was a good idea so they went together and bought DW proof heavy plastic plates (melamine?) and chipped in to buy stainless flatware for 20 servings to use at oldest daughter's since all events are held there. We are all much happier. My reasoning is that the little while in the dishwasher takes no more than the time to dump out the paper ware into the trash and haul it to the dumpster.

BTW - I use my great aunt's, grandmother's and mom's fine china for everyday. Lost a lot of pieces but we enjoyed them instead of having to dust them every few years in some far off cabinet. And, for sure, my son and grands would not really want them when I move on.

I have a beautiful china set but now that we've downsized to a tiny cottage it just looks overdone to use them. I have some Fiestaware and Fiestaware-wannabes for everyday and they are festive enough for the few special meals we have, and they go right into the dishwasher. I do use my fancier stainless, though. My daughter-in-law already has my Mom's silver set since we don't do any entertaining to speak of.

Clear, cheap, glass plates. I also have 2 leftover plates from an old set of Corelle, the green ivy one. Would like something more colorful but not sure I want to spend the money when I have perfectly good plates and it's just me here right now. Holidays there are a few more people but once or twice a year hardly justifies buying new plates.

We use our everyday dishes, white with a decorative trim, I have service for 12 of those. I haven’t used my china in years. Too much trouble to get out and then hand wash.

Due to my most recent bout with hip and leg and back surgeries, the last couple of Christmas dinners have been served on the Costco plates much like sushipup described but ours have a silver rim which makes them at least look like China. The rest of the year we don’t use disposable serveware except for camping. We use Corelle for that but for convenience at times will use bamboo

And we have beautiful set of Royal Doulton China that now that I’m able to get around better I will use when there are only adults at the table. But I checked and apparently if they were made after 1975, they are dishwasher safe. i wish my crystal was, but sadly not the case.

We also use bamboo instead of paper or plastic/foam plates. We do not use it at holidays, however. None of our family live close enough to us for us to host holiday meals, and we no longer visit them for holidays either. If we want to go to Texas to visit relatives, we will go in March, when the weather is better and that way we can avoid holiday travel problems. We do have to make a point of avoiding SXSW and Spring Break crowds, however.

I have white Irish linen tablecloths and napkins that I have not yet used that I keep in storage in case we might ever host a large gathering. At some point our relatives in Texas may decide to visit us en masse, but that is unlikely, I think.

I can't comprehend using paper plates anywhere but out in the woods, and plastic even less as they are not biodegradable. The dollar store has nice looking dinner plates for $1 each. If you spend $12 and use them twice you will break even with good quality disposable....use them more and you are waaaay ahead of the game.
The only "china" you need to hand wash is if it has gold trim....and only then if you want to pass it on to future generations. It will ride in the dish washer a lot before you notice any damage and fading of the gold.
I saw rto it than my son and his wife have their Royal Doulton for 24 and Sterling for 22 and my daughter likewise. And they both use it. Often!

We usually use Hallmark holiday themed plates. They are large and sturdy and I buy them when they go on sale after the holidays for the next year. I only have 4 Martha Stewart dinner plates for everyday use. I have bought the large package of "china" looking plastic plates at Costco but I find they break easily especially if you aren't eating at the table and eating buffet or picnic style holding the plate in your hand or propping it on your lap. I would never eat off styrofoam plates

We used to use the heavy, pretty plates with the beautiful Christmas tree on them. Spode maybe? Anyway, there are just too many of us now. So we use whatever. It changes depending on the numbers. Sometimes, the spode comes out. Sometimes its plain corelle, and if it's a huge crowd full of little children, paper plates. Always regular flatware though. Again, it used to be my moms silver. But, its just more practical to use the everyday stuff. I dont host,so I dont do the dishes, so I have no objection to the plate choice of those that do.

My sister used to have DBIL’s family for dinner on Christmas Eve. The first year or two, she used her bone china, her crystal, and her sterling flatware. None of her guests were comfortable. Finally, DBIL talked her into using something disposable (I seriously think he had to tie her hands the first year, it was so anathema to her). She switched over to using the plates from Costco, plastic glasses, and silver-colored plastic flatware. Everyone was happier.

I am on a food group on Facebook. Lots of folks post pictures of what they cooked for dinner. I am astounded at the number who seem to use paper plates every.single.day!

I cannot imagine being uncomfortable using bone china, crystal and sterling. If you don't normally break stuff when it's ordinary, why would you be more likely to when it "good"? No way would I ever serve a festive meal on paper plates. We don't even use disposables for picnics.

When DD had her 21st birthday party (an outdoor cook out for about 50 people), I bought Ikea plates for $1 each because I figured that for $1 I wouldn't care if they were dropped. I still have them all (and the wine glasses) 15 years later.

I don't think its a fear of breaking them. Fine China,crystal and silver set a formal, sometimes stuffy atmosphere that can be uncomfortable for people that are more accustomed to a casual, laid back type of get together.

I used disposable, like SOLO, plastic once, and it's not great for hot meals. I can't conscience throwing away the wedding quality heavy plastic. When I did catering for the congregation, we had to be cheap, and the moderately pretty, cheap, comes in a giant stack Dixie molded paper plates were fab. They hold up while carrying buffet, don't soak through or go limp, are easy to carry, etc.

I used to use similar quality, holiday themed paper for outside, but just got closeout melamine service for 8 for outdoors, and love it.

I've tried being fancy, but people just don't get it, at least off the air hostess instructions. :) I got these great hors d'oeuvre plates that have a hook that goes over your finger, with a curve to fit around your cup. They work extremely well for milling around, chatting, shaking hands, while holding a plate and a cup securely and not spilling, and still being able to easily nibble and drink. NO ONE got it. I also tried these great larger plates that have a circle cutout for the cup, which becomes a handle for the plate. People use use the cutout as a handle. Great designs. They might work with teens eager for something new. Adults are not interested.

Usually, I use real dishes and glasses. I have enough for at least 30, and adding in the kitchen dishes, odd spares and whatever, I can manage at least 50. You could argue, however, that the cheap paper uses less resources.

Anything that looks festive and is functional is good!

The table setting is not what makes a meal "stuffy"; it's the people. For heaven's sake folks!

I used my real china set once and 2 items were broken by guests. I put it away - never again! I have used cute paper plates before and they worked perfectly. I will probably use glass plates this year, but I don't see anything wrong with disposable, especially as the dish washer of the event!

I would guess most people who use disposables aren't doing so because of the cost of buying plates. People might not have the room to store 20 or 30 plates, cups, etc. that get used once or twice a year.

I know they don't recommend china with trim in the DW but I have put my Lenox with platinum edge in the DW for many years. No chipping or ware on them.

We use Lenox Christmas china every year and wash it in the dishwasher. It still looks brand new. I suppose if one were washing it in the dishwasher every day, it would eventually wear away the metal trim, but we've been using it three times per year for 30 years with no problem.

I have a 60 piece [that's just the dinner plates] of late 1950-1960s of blue bubble glass we use for all the big family meals. I also have the matching platters and big bowls that are used for the turkey and mashed potatoes. We don't use the cups and saucers (have 16 of those). Yeah, used to collect the stuff years ago. My dream was to give each kid an eight-piece complete set ... alas, they have no interest. Well, maybe my daughter would take a four-piece complete set.

It depends on the size of my "party. I used to have big family Christmas parties and it was not unusual to have 35 or 40 people. I didn't have enough of anything for that many people and my kitchen was small. I was a single Mom and pretty much broke, so I used disposable plates and paper napkins but went to Sam's Club and bought their restaurant quality flatware for 50, really cheaply.

Now I have FiestaWare for 14 people and coincidentally we will have 14 people for dinner on Saturday. We'll put both tables together and use "real" dishes and flatware. Elery's dinnerware is in the pole barn in a plastic tub and if I needed more I could use the white Pflatzgraff to fill in any extra blanks.

My ex-MIL bought me a set of china with 24 place settings. She liked it, I didn't, and when I got divorced I tried to foist it off on my ex and he wouldn't take it either. When I moved from White Cloud I didn't take it with me, it sat on the shelf of GoodWill for about 3 months, until someone bought it or even they gave up on it.

I have a "vintage" tablecloth with turkeys and pumpkins which is not big enough when I try to seat that many people, but it was Grandma's and I remember ironing the thing for Thanksgiving, it was always there. So I bought a large chocolate brown cloth that covers the whole table and I center Grandma's cloth over that and smile.

Mother usually buys some kind of Thanksgiving themed paper napkins and she likes that, so the paper napkins do get used on the table. We always use glasses for drinks, never plastic or styrofoam and paper is too flimsy for the little kids. I have Wexford glasses of all sizes and I bought a huge tub of them so if one gets broken I trot out to the pole barn, open that tub and take out another, it's all good.

I also have cake plates in various heights that I use for pies and other desserts and the short footed Wexford gets used for mousse or individual desserts. I have a lot of old cut glass serving dishes and they are clear so they "match" everything.

Nothing matches because FiestaWare isn't supposed to and the dishwasher does a couple of loads and everything goes in there. If something gets lost, broken or accidentally thrown in the garbage, it just gets replaced. As Bumblebeez said, it's all about the people.

Annie

Go to a party supply store. You will be amazed at the varieties available.

dcarch

Whenever I have large groups for lunch or dinner, I mix and match. I alternate place settings......blue and white Spode, solid white Mikasa or just plain Ironstone. Table looks just as lovely. I remember when the kids were young, even the dog ate Thanksgiving dinner off Spode. (She didn't mind the plate was chipped) We would make a Thanksgiving meal of turkey, mashed potatoes and depending on what was in the veggies (no onions or mushrooms), she would get some of them, too. We would put a napkin in her collar and candlesticks on either side of the plate. I think the kids got more of a kick out of it than our Irish Setter. LOL

When we had large family gatherings, the kids had their own table in the kitchen with a cute centerpiece (a pineapple, top end was the tail end and bottom had a turkey head on it, set on some autumn leaves. They had their own glass plates that I paid 10cents a piece for. and candlesticks. You don't have to spend a lot of money to have a pretty table.

When my boys came for the first time to our house in Williamsburg for Thanksgiving dinner, I had the table set with autumn leaves, a big ceramic pumpkin, lots of gourds and nuts. It looked lovely, but when they sat down, they both said, "where's the pineapple? I recently found the turkey head tucked away in an obscure drawer in the laundry room. I mailed it to son in California, the only one with small children. I just wrote on the card, "You know what to do with it." :-))))

Anyone who is "uncomfortable" using nice things was obviously raised by wolves! Make them see that you can have fun using sterling and china.....and that blown lead crystal glasses "sing" nicely when you rub a wet finger on the rim!

I use my everyday plates for Thanksgiving and I have Christmas plates for Christmas.

Family holiday dinners are special enough that we always use good china, sterling and glassware. And a sitdown dinner with a tablecloth or placemats and linen napkins, candles and a centerpiece. Paper or bamboo plates are only for more casual summertime get togethers like barbeques or picnics.

I cannot imagine guests breaking plates unless this was a meal where people ate on their laps and then put the plates on the floor. One foot on a plate on the floor and one has a broken plate! But not at a table!

I grew up during the era (late 40's-50's) when nearly every family in the US came home from church (and yes, most DID go to church!), and had "Sunday dinner". It involved a bit nicer cut of meat or fried chicken, and using the family's "best" china and silver. Even very modest households has such - it was far from being "only for the wealthy". So everyone grew up being used to a nicely set table with a tablecloth and cloth napkins. No one was uncomfortable if this was how the table was set when they were a guest in someone's home.

Every year, I see pictures online of Royal Ascot. In the Royal Enclosure, all the men must wear morning coats, striped trousers and top hats, which must be kept on at all times unless one is inside. The English men look very comfortable in theirs - they own their own clothes and have worn them probably since age 13 if they went to Eton (it's the school uniform, now minus the hats). But one can spot an American a mile away as his clothes don't fit properly - often not even his top hat - and he looks unbelievably uncomfortable.

When my DD got married, we had a High Noon wedding. We chose this time as it would result in the least expense for the reception - no open bar that went on for hours, and no big round band that cost the price of a car. As such the proper attire for the men in the wedding party was just what is worn to Royal Ascot - morning tail coat, striped trousers, vest. The groom was NOT happy about this as he had just bought a new tuxedo for his wedding. I assure him that neither the bride's father or stepfather would be caught dead in a tuxedo before 5 PM - preferably not before 7, certainly not at High Noon, and that this was what they were wearing.

It was interesting to see him and his groomsmen get comfortable in theirs. I arranged to be there when they picked up their rental formal clothes and I made each try them on to be sure they fit. The grooms shirt had to be returned THREE TIMES before they got the right size! So, they had clothes that fit and that is key. As they wore them, they quickly became comfortable in them and rather admired the way they looked - they looked straight out of a Merchant/Ivory period movie! All quite handsome and very romantic looking!

We do our children a grave injustice when we don't use our nice things often enough for them not to be freaked out when the are faced with such a table. Many of the young today, won't even go to a "white tablecloth/napkin" restaurant - they find it intimidating.

Remember in Kipling's famous poem, "If", he states, "If one can walk with kings and keep the common touch". This can easily be translated to the table - "If one can eat at an elegant table and not be stuffy".!

Whenever we had family holiday dinners at my Grandparents's even after they passed away my Grandmother's 12 place settings of Royal Doulton china was always used and for beverages it was her thistle crystal. All my life I loved that china and crystal. After my Grandparents passed away my Aunt inherited everything then my cousin. My cousin never used the set of china and I would always say to her if she was going to sell it I would buy it but she didn't sell it. Recently she moved back home and put her stuff in storage and moved in with me. I asked her about the china and she said just days before she donated it to the Goodwill. I was so disappointed, heartbroken and shocked she did that. I am over it, they are just things but I am so sentimental and I really could have used the dinnerware. She said she didn't want to store it but she could have just brought it here and stored it. She said she would give me the crystal. I don't mind eating off of paper plates but I love fancy laid out dinner tables at holidays. I started collecting Royal Albert Poinsettia pattern bone china but only have cups and saucers and a few side pieces. No place settings yet, but one day I hope to have enough to use for Christmas dinner

I command a lovely table. So said because I decree and let the minions do the actual laying of the table. I have cloths and chargers, wine stems and water stems and gold flashed company flatware, to set for dozens. And it's all cheap junk bought on closeout sales to make it even cheaper, and it looks fabulous! An advantage to the cheap stems is no lead to leach into the wine, though they don't sparkle like crystal.

And when I didn't have all that, I set a simpler table with plastic party cloths, paper plates and matching cups from the catering supply store, with my mother's old stainless flatware she got mostly with Betty Crocker points back when you only had to pay the shipping. And it was lovely.

A few flowers, candlesticks, and interesting serving pieces (some of which are $2 foil trays from the catering supply which can be washed and reused if you're careful).

If you have lovely things, use them! It doesn't matter if they're heirlooms or junk store finds, or paper, or anything in between. Use what you have, and make it look nice. Pretty is good! How you get there is beside the point.

I would use my china but at $100.00 a plate I won’t put it out when we have the grands over. My a daughter would be too uncomfortabl.

Cherryfizz, Goodwill probably still has the china. You might enquire, as good china doesn't sell quickly.

Louiseab, I just set my table with my china and crystal for seven adults, the three grands have Fiesta dinner plates and no crystal.

Colleen, it was a Goodwill 4 hours away and the china was snapped up the same day. Lucky person haha

Oh, that’s so sad, Anne. I feel for you! It took me 40 years to find extra pieces to go with my grandmother’s set after careless people smashed most of it.

cherrifizz, that's the worst story! You are very kind to take your cousin in I, too, am sentimental. When my MIL died, my FIL asked DH and me if we wanted the dining room hutch. I had dining room furniture so I really didn't need it but asked what he was going to do with the contents. He said there was a woman he knows that offered to buy the china. So I offered to buy it because I always liked it......Spode's Autumn Aster. He said if you want it, just take it and so I did. My SIL was very upset about it and I was going to split the service in half and give her six place settings and keep six for myself. I figured I could always buy two more. However, my FIL said absolutely not. She got a whole car load of stuff plus she got MIL diamond ring which was worth ten times more than the china and silver, but I'd rather have the china because it reminded me of so many lovely meals we had together. We have a lot of consignment shops by us and I think you can pick up china and crystal pretty inexpensively because no one wants it anymore.

Later years, I use paper, usually the heavier "Dixie" plates with the higher rims to hold things in, especially gravy. For flatware? Plastic (heavy duty) or stainless.

And I can't hear "Royal Doulton" without thinking about the "hand-painted periwinkles"...

I definitely want to use my "good" china; I bought it because it is pretty and pleased me to have, so I love an opportunity to bring it out and make the occasion "more special". Fortunately (or the opposite, depending upon your point of view) I never have a lot of guests, generally only one or two besides my DD and I, and no young children to be concerned about, so I have not bought full sets of anything except the large collection of Franciscan Desert Rose that I got at a tag sale, and the Fairmont Hotel silverplate, again from a tag sale. In fact I resold about half the Franciscan.

Crystal I don't have - I was given a set, and passed it on because I didn't like it. We use some pretty but plain peach or blue colored stemware that I bought at Ralph's grocery, way back in 1992.

When my family gets together at my parents’ house for the holidays, there are usually 30-35 people there. We use paper plates because no one in their right mind would want to wash that many dishes.

My better half and I entertain a lot at our house, and we recently bought a set of melamine dishes to use instead of paper plates (we can use them inside or outside). We do have to hand wash them, but it’s not too bad. If we have a small group, we use our Fiesta ware. We also bought a couple of cases of wine glasses from a restaurant supply store and some martini and champagne glasses from IKEA that we use (and loan to friends). They are cheap enough that if one gets broken, it’s not a great loss.

we do have a nice set of Mikasa wine glasses as well as some hand-blown wine and champagne glasses that we bought at a glass art gallery in Seaside, FL. We used the champagne glasses at our wedding and get them out for special occasions from time to time.