Does anybody else remember the tradition of glory boxes?
Some called it a “hope chest”, because it was a symbol of a young woman’s hopes and dreams of marriage and setting up her own home (do you want a bucket?!); others had a “bottom drawer”.
All sorts of household items were saved in the glory box, the idea being that it would ease the initial expense of setting up a new household. Inside you might find bed linen, towels, tablecloths, cutlery, and dishware. Often the young woman herself had carefully stitched the items for her glory box.
I didn’t have one – I was too busy trying to afford day-to-day expenses to put anything aside for the future!
But I did have a school friend from a Greek family, and by the time we were 16 she had quite a good stash. I loved visiting her and admiring the goodies in her glory box – crystal glassware, fine china, handmade doilies. Her friends and family were never stuck for gift ideas – if in doubt, they just gave her something for her glory box!
Whatever happened to Glory Boxes?
Glory boxes have definitely disappeared from our lives, for a multitude of reasons …
1. These days, young people move out of home long before they get married. Often young couples have too much stuff (rather than not enough), as they try to merge two households into one!
2. The rise of the credit card. Setting up home? Just flash your plastic!
3. Home decor styles are constantly changing – so what you collected 10 years ago, is not something you would want in your home now.
4. The major expenses these days are associated with electrical and white goods, and who wants to store them away for years?! First of all – because nobody has the room; and secondly, because the warranties would have expired by the time you actually got to use things!
5. We don’t tend to make our household linens etc anymore, so it doesn’t take us years to get things ready for our own home.
I love the romance of the old glory boxes, but Miss 17 already has so much stuff she doesn’t know where to put it all – and besides, it does seem a bit sexist in retrospect!
Did you or your friends have glory boxes?!
I never had a glory box growing up, I asked my husband and both his sisters who are in their late 50’s never had glory boxes either.
I’m starting to wonder if it was really an Australian thing cause even my Nana never had a glory box growing up
(((( Hugs )))) XXXX Kisses XXXX
I’ve known a few people who had them so it definitely was a “thing” even in Australia – but only in certain circles I guess, like my Greek school friend.
That’s what I meant it seems to maybe only in certain circles like Greeks & other nations that live in Australia, sorry I didn’t explain properly
(((( Hugs )))) XXXX Kisses XXXX
I had a glory box. I am now 36. My father migrated from England and my mothers family are Australian. I remember it started as I had emptied my toy box and my mother and grandmother suggested I may like to begin to fill my old toy box with items for my own home one day. I don’t have any of those things now. Nothing was deemed special enough to keep. Perhaps if I had collected dearer items or handmade quilts or cushions the things would have lasted. Hmmm am thinking I may have to start one with my daughters. One that is full of homemade items that have more meaning and that you cannot just buy.
I started saving up for bits & bobs to leave home, then we moved again & my parents decided my stuff was the household stuff & there went my efforts at saving!!!
I think these days a box with special items from along the way, or letters from mum or dad, photos, are more important than all that “house stuff”. Let’s face it, women work far earlier and more now than they did back then. Now we buy whatever we want! Still, the idea of it is kind of sweet & romantic…in an old fashioned way! 😉 x Aroha
Aroha, I have a memories and keepsakes box like this.
I used to have one, well when I was little but never actually got fill because I used to thieve things out of it that I needed for uni, it was a quite a nice idea, old fashioned nowadays but nice x
My mother had a glory box, and she’s in her early fifties. It was a beautiful camphor wood chest that I longed to one day own (my sister got it!). A lot of the special things put away in it, were deemed always special. This meant that they never least the glory box. My sisters and I loved going through it and fondling all the special hand embroidered linens. I longed to have one myself. At eighteen I was given a raw pine chest for my birthday. I was so disappointed that it wasn’t a intricately carved camphor wood. But, I stained it lovingly. It is still special too me. I keep my sewing materials in it, as an ode to the fancy linens of old. And, one day I would like to give a camphor wood chest to my daughter, to do with as she pleases.
They are always handy! The camphor wood box in the picture is no more, certain children used to jump on it … and broke the lid!
What comes to mind is a piece of white material that my mum kept to make me a wedding dress one day 😉 It didn’t last until the wedding, she ended up sewing my prom dress out of it.
I was actually thinking about starting to put one together for Miss 15 in preparation for university. I had one when I was younger and it is nice to collect towels and linen and kitchen stuff. But you are right trends change and money is more available these days. Plus who wants to take beautiful new things to share in a uni share house.
I had a glory box and I loved it. It now sits in our family room full of toys for my girls but I’m hoping one day they will also do a similar thing. I reckon it will come back in fashion. You can never have enough tea towels or table cloths and table linen.
Yes, I had a friend who had one, and it was mainly full of kitchen stuff. I started buying things a few months before I first moved out of home, and then just bought the rest as I needed it. My first teenage flat was a very sparse place, but all mine so I loved it! x
It is a lovely old idea, so full of romance. I have bits and pieces of my great grandmothers, grandmothers and mum’s bit and pieces, Irish linen tea towels here, antique lace table cloths there, a crystal cream jug, a 1960’s coffee pot. All precious and full of sentiment, though they came to me after marriage, they hold the hope of generations 🙂
I had a glory box the same as the one in your photo above. Although it was never full to the brim, it did contain a few basic items. It went on to be a toy box for my boys when they were little, and it’s that it’s kind of battered it lives in the shed, a home to hubby’s ‘ junk’ lol
The Christmas before I moved out of home was a “moving out of home xmas” where I was given towels, sheets doonas, tupperware etc. So I guess that was kinda my glory box!
I never had one myself but I did have a camphor chest that was beautifully carved inside but very plain on the outside. I never filled it with items in preparation to leave home but I think it’s something that should be encouraged with our kids. Even the boys should be encouraged to put things away for that long-awaited day when they finally fly the nest!
I remember being mortified when an old aunt of mine gave me a 21st birthday present that was for my glory box. I had no intentions of getting hitched at that age and no plans of moving out of home either so I thought it was a waste of time. It’s just one of those funny old fashioned traditions that my daughter would roll her eyes at, because she thinks a lot of stuff I did was very antiquated!
I had a glory box, it was a horrid one, white oblong box with a red vinyl top. It held all of my treasures, photos, letters, trinkets my brother and sister made for me along with some household goods. I still have the trinkets but probably not the household goods. I think it would be more practical now to have a separate saving leaving home account. xx
Yes I remember these, many of my italian friends had one. We moved to often for it to ever be beyond a silly teens romantic dream. I wonder what young teenagers of today would put in one, an interesting thought.
My cousin had one which I thought was a lovely idea and tried to start my own but all I ever bought was a really expensive set of bamboo cutlery. I can’t remember what eventually happened to that cutlery.
I don’t have one, however my mum is putting together one for my daughter. So I am not sure if she was just too busy when I was little?? I think they are a lovely idea though.
I didn’t have a glory box. I think one of the things that has stopped them being as popular is that it is cheaper to get set up with linen etc. I put on a layby a couple of weeks ago that included a couple of sheets, pillow cases, quilt cover and doona and it was just over $100 dollars. I think too that kids aren’t leaving home as quickly anymore and so have time while working full time to build up on stuff.
I never had one but really wanted one! I just like the idea of the nice chest I think 🙂
I had a glory box by the time l married l had alot of boxes , Both my kids have boxes too, a good start in life
I got one for my daughter, and we would go and get something for it every payday. It filled up fast, in the end we dedicated a cupboard for her as well, and caked it the “glory cupboard”.
When she finally moved into her own home, all Kiaralea had to buy, was furniture items. We started her glory box the day she got her period.
It was a big occasion for her period, we made a cake and welcomed her to womanhood. Then I explained the glory box, and we went and bought one. It’s been a beautiful tradition I’ve started……
What a lovely way to mark her transition to womanhood! In our household, the hubster bought our daughter her a bunch of roses on the occasion, because he wanted her first ever flowers to be from her dad 🙂
I got a glory box for my 21st and so did my older two brothers. I’m nearly 50 I tried to buy one for my two girls for their 21st but couldn’t find where to buy them. My parents got mine from a place called the Bargain Barrel which is no longer around. I have looked on Ebay but they are so expensive and they don’t look like the original.