Kristy and I received this chip-and-dip plate as a wedding gift almost 19 years ago. Our wedding was in August, so it wasn't some sort of a patriotic thematic tie-in. And while we both love quite a lot about our country, we're not "Yeah Go 'Murica!" kinds of people. The platter was most likely a re-gift.
I tend to imagine someone bought this for a 4th of July party or found it at a retail clearance sale and didn’t want to hold onto it until the following year. Or maybe they grabbed it at a garage sale on a lark and didn’t know exactly what to do with it, so you know: wedding gift! (I mean seriously – what do two newly married grad students need more than a Star Spangled Banner chips-and-dip platter?) In any case, it was a curious gift.
We tried to return it, but there was no receipt attached and none of the retailers we visited admitted to selling it. So we ended up keeping it, and we pulled it out and used it the next 4th of July. We've pulled it out and used it once a year for more than two decades now. It's pretty tacky and a bit worn around the edges and kind of an eyesore in any context other than Independence Day. But at this point, it's something that makes us smile every 4th of July and evokes a lot of great memories.
A while back, Kristy referred to it as a "family heirloom." That might be overselling it a bit. But not by much.
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