Colossal Christmas Countdown: 59 Days Until Christmas!

If there's one thing the holiday season is known for, it's the wonderful food that is served!  Sitting around the table surrounded by family and friends, ready to dive into a terrific meal which took all day to prepare, is one of my favorite memories every year.  Of course, besides the food itself, the way the dining room table is decorated can really set the tone for your holiday meal too.  When Michael and I got married, I registered for some inexpensive dishes which were chosen primarily for their looks with little regard to the actual quality of the dinnerware. Now, four years later, this is a decision I've come to regret.  The 16-piece set I currently have is comprised of coffee cups which are way too small and look more like they should be used for espresso instead, and in just four years of use, I already have multiple chips and scratches in my dinnerware, so that it looks rather pitiful.  I've always known of Oneida's reputation in the tableware field and was really looking forward to having the chance to review a complete set of their dishes.  Keep reading to find out what I picked and how they've held up so far!

When I decorated our dining room, I decided to choose darker earth-toned colors for the walls, which also matched our furniture and wood floors nicely.  I love how the darker colors instantly made our dining room feel more cozy and comfortable.  When choosing a dinnerware set from Oneida, the choice was actually very easy, since I immediately fell in love with the Adriatic Brown Square 16-Piece Service for 4.  I am a huge fan of square plates and think that they automatically add a certain flair to your table.

I also thought that the two-tone brown and black combination of these dishes was so eye-catching and unusual.  Finally, the combed pattern of the glaze on the dishes themselves reminded me of a painting technique ("combing") that made the Adriatic Brown set resemble actual handmade pottery.  As soon as I showed my husband this dinnerware from Oneida, he was thrilled!  He loved the classic look of these dishes as much as I did and knew that because they were made of highly durable stoneware, they would be extremely resistant to both chipping and scratching.

This dinnerware set was also larger than our current set of dishes.  The coffee cups are absolutely HUGE (which I love) and can finally hold what I consider a cup of coffee!  I also have plenty of room to add all the cream and sugar I'd like without worrying about any spills.  One word of caution though...because these dishes are larger, be careful that you don't over serve yourself when it comes to dinnertime.

My husband and I have used these bowls for pasta and thought that we would have no problem eating what we put in them.  As a matter of fact, my husband actually thought that these bowls were smaller than our current set.  These bowls are misleading for they are more narrow in width, but much deeper.  Turns out, we had both put WAY too much pasta in our bowls and couldn't eat what we actually served ourselves!  The plates are also larger than I was used to, but I absolutely love the extra space, since now I have much more room for rolls, sauces and gravies.

I couldn't be happier with the quality, the style or the attention to detail of the Adriatic Brown Square 16-Piece Service for 4 from Oneida.  This set of dishes is a wonderful set which I know will last for years to come and present the food I serve in the best possible light.  I highly recommend Oneida's dinnerware to anyone looking to dress up their holiday table this season!

Oneida was generous enough to give my readers the chance to win one of their most popular items as well as a must-have for the holiday season...the 2-Dozen Cupcake Carrier! Just think, now you can carefully tote your yummy cupcakes to any school party, church gathering or holiday get-together you attend!

Disclosure:  I received the Adriatic Brown Square 16-piece Service for 4 from Oneida in order to facilitate my review. No other compensation was received. This product review is based on my own personal experiences with this item and is completely honest and objective.