A Christmas Story AND

Ten Ways To Recycle Coffee Mugs

Every morning I choose my coffee mug based on my emotions, what the date is, or who I’m thinking of that day. On the 14th of December, I drank out of my “Marv” mug in honor of the 90th anniversary of Daddy’s birth.

“Where did you get a Marv mug?”, you might ask.

Let me share a Christmas story!

In 1975, Daddy and Mom gave each of us ten dollars to spend on Christmas gifts. Even back then, that wasn’t much. Daddy’s suggestion was that we go together to get gifts, so our money would stretch further.

I clearly remember our excitement when we found coffee mugs with names on them. Marv was as close as we could get to Marvin, but we were delighted. And it had a cool antique car on the mug. The problem with Mom was that her name is Dortha and the closest we could find to that was Dorothy. So, she got the Dorothy mug with the lovely rose.

When they opened the mugs, their pleasure was obvious. They were impressed with our finds and they used those mugs every day for years! When Daddy retired and they were downsizing, I spotted those mugs and knew I had to bring them home. Now, when I want to remember Daddy, I drink from the Marv mug. On Mom’s birthday, I drink from the Dorothy mug. My collection is so big that even though I’ve given several away over the years, my mug wall is full, and there are more in the cabinet. It made me wonder about options for recycling coffee mugs. Here are a few that I found!

TEN IDEAS FOR UPCYCLING COFFEE MUGS

1. Plant Holder: Small succulents are particularly delightful in coffee mugs.

2. Coffee Mug Cake: Recipes are easy to find online for these yummy cakes, and they are naturally portion controlled.

3. Pencil/Pen holder: Use on a desk to hold all of your pencils and pens.

4. Coin Collection: Place on your dresser and put coins from your pockets in the cup.

5. Workroom/Sewing room collections: They would make a great holder for screws, buttons, or small pieces.

6. Candle holder: They could be used for tea lights, or even with poured wax as actual candles.

7. Candy dish: Especially for something like M&M’s.

8. Birdfeeder: I’ve seen mugs or teacups glued to a saucer and hung outside with birdfeed in it!

9. Soup dish: I love drinking my tomato soup right out of a coffee mug. Especially if you have a really large mug.

10. Regift: Mugs in great condition can be given as a gift. Put some candy, tea bags, or other delights in the mug and give it to a friend.

 

Do you have any other suggestions? Next time you pull out a coffee mug, think about where it came from. Who gave it to you? Who does it remind you of? Is there a special memory associated with that mug? Take a few moments and remember those people and experiences, then share in the comments!

 

Remembering people is my favorite thing to do with a mug. Well, that and drinking coffee!

 

Primary

Secondary

Now, when I want to remember Daddy, I drink from the Marv mug. On Mom’s birthday, I drink from the Dorothy mug. 

 

The other day, someone posed a question. If you could spend an hour visiting with anyone, past or present, who would it be? I immediately thought of Daddy.

Oh, there are many other people from history that I would love to talk to, including my mother and my grandparents. There are also many, still alive, that I would love to visit with for an hour. But still, I would have picked Daddy.

I’m not sure why. Maybe it was because his birthday was coming up (today) and I miss him a lot.

But, today a friend posted a picture of a red truck her son painted. A memory flashed across my mind. It was the story of Daddy’s first memory and it involved a pickup like the one my friend’s son painted, only his was yellow.

Click on the link below to hear Daddy tell the story of the yellow truck. The tapping sound is me typing as he spoke.

Daddy and his brother, Jim.

Interview with Daddy 12142010b First Story a

I have this story because we sat down ten years ago and spent almost ninety minutes talking and recording his memories. I listened to some of it today, including this story and it was bittersweet. I’m so glad I have his voice and the memories.

Slicing the Turkey

I know I harp on this a lot, but our parents aren’t around forever, like we thought they would be. And then there are our grandparents. Get their stories. Use that record feature on your smart phone this Christmas. Let the whole family submit questions. Make it a group activity! Maybe you’ll discover your own yellow truck story.