Christmas #5 (circa 1995)

A table gift from my parents on a Christmas day after my wife and I were married.

This is part of a boxed set of four mugs, all the same size and shape but with differing Christmas-themed illustrations. That’s a wreath peeking out from the inside, a nice little extra that’s visible to users drinking right-handed.

Two of the set’s mugs have a red stripe on the outside of the handle; two have green. Over a two-year span, my wife and I received the whole set — each year one of us receiving one with a green-striped handle, the other getting red. Makes me smile to think of how my folks had their table gifts planned out at least a year in advance.

Christmas #4 (2014)

A teacher gift for my wife, but she shares with me.

Does it seem somehow dishonest to show a snowman hovering just above hot coffee?

Pro Football Hall of Fame (2013)

One of the stops on our family’s Great American Road Trip of 2013 was Canton, Ohio. I grew up a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, and many of the players I idolized as a kid are now enshrined in the Hall of Fame there.

Think for a minute that year after year, one measure of an NFL team’s greatness is the number of Pro Bowl players on its roster. Then realize what it says about the Steelers of the 1970s that there are nine players and the head coach from that team in the Hall of Fame.

So it should go without saying that when I was choosing a souvenir mug, I had to pick one that was black and gold. This came with a gold, ceramic spoon that slips into those holes in the handle. It’s not broken, but it’s also not something a drinker of black coffee ever needs to use.

Update: I mentioned that the 1970s Steelers had nine future Hall of Famers on their roster. Make that an even 10 with Donnie Shell’s 2020 induction.

Christmas #3 (1990s)

My parents kept a tradition of giving table favors to their Christmas guests. Each place at the table had a gift, usually wrapped in tissue paper. While all the gifts over the years were thoughtful and nice, the ones that my wife and I still use the most are the coffee mugs.

This was part of a set that included various designs, and as a brass player, I’m quite fond of it. Note the shaped handle. Looks neat but it makes holding the mug a bit of a challenge.