When we were kids growing up, Momma had a LOT on her plate with five boys, plus aging parents and relatives on both sides of the family.  She also had LOTS of people to feed at Thanksgiving, so she always bought the biggest turkey she could find.  Sometimes, that turkey did not get thawed in time.  Even when it did, it usually took longer to cook than she expected.  No matter what time we thought we were eating, it was usually several hours later. 

That's when Daddy stepped in, with a treasure from Aunt Nen's house similar to this. She had passed it down to Momma while she was still alive, so she was always pleased as punch to see Daddy haul it out and fill it with celery sticks, carrot sticks, pickles, olives, and our favorite, black olives.  He bought those cheap ripe olives that come in a can, but because we only ever had them on holidays, we thought they were something special to be savored only on special occassions! 

Ours was not so fancy as this one, though I still have it and use it when the family comes over.  Ours had a pressboard turntable, which broke in half when I tried to use it as a "Sit and Spin" when I was a kid! It's glued back together and the repair doesn't show when the dishes are in place.  It's made of ceramic, probably by Treasure Craft, and it has turqoise blue outer pieces with a while 3-section bowl in the middle.

This one no doubt served a much fancier household- I'm picturing a hip Mom in a Pucci-print dress filling it with canapes and other fancy snacks.  Whatever your go-to finger foods may be, you can elevate their presentation in this gorgeous piece of history!