In another Christmas-themed edition of Retro Ramblings, I want to talk about a product that has always screamed “Christmas” to me. It’s something my mom was very fond of, so I’ve gained an appreciation for it as I’ve gotten older as well. Let’s take a quick look at when Arby’s used to offer special sets of glasses around the holidays.
Back through the ’80s and early ’90s, Arby’s used to roll out sets of glasses for the Christmas season that you could purchase. There were various sets they released including goblets, tumblers, and just regular old glasses.
Some were adorned with red and green, and others featured etched artwork. The ones I’m interested in are featured in the photo at the top.
I wish I had more details on these but I don’t. That’s partly why I’m doing this post. I’m hoping one of you out there can shed some light on them for me, or at least have your own memories of them that you can share with me.
What I remember is that these were released either at the very end of the ’80s or possibly in 1990 or 1991. My Mom saw them and instantly knew she had to have them. She thought they were “fancy” for whatever reason, and the rest of us never had the heart to remind her they were from a fast food joint. We ended up getting four of them for our family, and she would trot them out every Christmas season to drink punch from. The rest of the year they stayed on proud display on the top of her china cabinet in the kitchen.
These glasses with their winter wonderland scene etched on them are one of the images in my mind that I associate with my Christmas nostalgia. I’m enamored with these damn things and want to get a set of them for my own Christmases going forward. I see these exact glasses for sale on Etsy at different points, but I’ve never ordered them. I’m going to, but I just haven’t gotten around to pulling the trigger yet.
They are quite lovely. The etched scene of snow-covered trees with snow on the ground around them, and the little etched snowflakes falling all around. And then they added a touch of class by rimming them in gold. It all comes together to make a very festive type of wine glass for the holidays. As I mentioned, these came in different shapes throughout the years, but these were the only ones my family had.
But anyway, if any of you out there can fill in the gaps in my memory of what year they were released or any other details about them, I’d appreciate it. Or Alternatively, if your family had them and you want to share memories, drop them in the comments below!
I bought several styles when Arby’s had them. I bought extras off of eBay several years ago
I had bought some when Arby’s had them. I got some more off of eBay many years ago
I bought mine in 1989-1990. I a complete 8 piece set of each style plus the same in the Holly design. I bought them 2 at a time. Going to several Arby’s to compete my collection before the stopped selling them. I love the style and treasure them because of the hard work it took to collect them all.
I actually still have a set of Christmas glasses I bought at Arby’s in the early 90’s when I was first married! They have held up well over the years. We only use them on Christmas Eve. I am pretty sure they were discontinued the next year because I recall wanting to get more that year and not being able to.
That’s awesome. I remember my mom being so impressed wth those things and thinking they were so fancy. At that time, I thought she was crazy. I mean, even I knew that fancy stuff didn’t come from fast food restaurants. But through the years, those memories and the nostalgia have taken over, and I am super careful with the glasses, and take great care of them. So to me, they are now really fancy because of the nostalgia.
90’s also try ebay or church garage sales
Ooh, those are nice, and remind me of how much I miss Arby’s up here.