Displaying my Christmas Cup Collection each year is such fun because it reminds of all the lovely memories that I had of teaching high school English for 25 years. I taught at a private independent Catholic high school for young women, and they were so dear, that my years there are definitely happy memories.
The day before Christmas was always a special day. Girls rushed through the hallways delivering presents to each other and to their teachers. I, and my colleagues, were the beneficiary of their generosity, and some years, I would have 3 to 4 cardboard boxes of gifts to transport to my car!
When I got home, it was like an early Christmas for my three daughters, because I would let them open the gifts, and we would marvel at each one, and then write down the gift givers' names very carefully so that I could write them thank you notes.
The two most popular gifts were 1) See's Candy (love that!) 2) Christmas Cups! Thus, I have a collection of 35 fabulous Christmas mugs that I enjoy each year. And I had even more - but some have broken along the way. Friends and family have also donated to my collection, because they know that I always love to receive Christmas China!
I know that gift giving to teachers has diminished over the years, definitely since my early days as a high school instructor. In my my final years as a high school teacher, I barely had even one box to carry to the car. And I know that my oldest daughter, who is currently a high school teacher, and her collegaues, also receive very few presents each year from their students.
I'm not sure why the tradition has dwindled in its popularity over the years. But I am certainly glad that I was around when it was in its hey day! And I have the Christmas Cups to prove it!