During the Christmas season, the cupboards in my parents kitchen undergo a major switch — the subtly patterned plates, bowls, and glasses are replaced by items with vibrant vines of holly, bright red berries, and other traditional Christmas icons. One of our favorite drinking glasses is pictured to the left. It has a thick glass base that is slightly larger than the rim. Near the base, holly leaves and berries sit above of a red line and a green line. It's a nice design.
On the first night of my visit to Michigan, I noticed the following below the red line as I set down my cold glass of Vernors: "ARBY'S (R) 1983 CHRISTMAS COLLECTION." I almost fell out of my chair. It's hard to imagine anything so subtle coming out of the fast food chains (perhaps, however, there was a kid's movie in 1983 called "Holly the Elf who went to Design School" to which this was a tie-in.).
My parents tried to remember how they obtained the first glasses, and although they can't remember exactly, they have a feeling that there was a deal where you could buy the glasses for a discount price if you bought a sandwich (perhaps it was the Big Beef and Cheddar that 30 Rock's Jack Donaghy's ex-wife loves so much). During those years, Arby's was a veritable font of glassware, with additional offerings of footed sherbet glasses (which we also own) and water goblets (which we don't).
Unfortunately, surviving twenty-five Christmas seasons hasn't done much for their value — a quick check of eBay found an average price of only few dollars per glass.
Random link from the archive: Cardamom Butter Squares