Tray Chic

When did TV trays fall out favor? Do you remember? They used to come in a set of four with their own little stand that you could place against the wall in the living room or perhaps slide into a closet (presuming it was fairly empty). Ours had a parquet wood-look veneer for easy cleaning. (I also recall a set with black tin tops and roses printed in the middle, but I'm not sure who owned them.) My brother and I would rejoice on nights we broke out the TV trays. I don't know why eating in the living room was such a big deal. My mom never banned us from taking food out of the kitchen, unlike many of my friends. I actually had one friend whose mom wouldn't even let the kids have a glass of water outside of the kitchen. She had clear plastic covers on the couch and on the car seats, too. I could understand she didn't want the carpet or furniture stained, but that seemed like overkill to me. When my friend spent the night at our house, she was amazed that we could take cookies and Kool-Aid to my room, and when I stayed with her, I thought I'd die of thirst without some ice water to sip in the middle of the night. Come to think of it, her mom made us go to bed pretty early too, while my mom let us stay up and watch Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, but I digress.

The thing about TV trays is they'd come in handy these days when so many people eat in front of the boob tube. I'm not advocating this practice, but it would be nice to have some place to put a drink, some chips, and a dip bowl during movies. After all, coffee tables aren't what they used to be. Now they're multipurpose ottomans which are good for just about everything except setting down a glass.

I'm sure TV. trays are still available, but I don't see anyone using them. Do people hide them when company arrives? I suppose I would, too. I can't imagine my friends lounging about with a pre-dinner cocktail in hand and appetizers strewn across TV trays. Somehow these 70's holdovers just wouldn't contribute to the appropriate atmosphere. Still, I might buy a set to hide if I found some that matched our television room. Now there's a concept - buying something that matches your decor knowing you're going to hide it if anyone comes over. I suppose the trays have to match just in case someone sees them. What if my friends from school were to stop by only to find a bright orange and white University of Tennessee tray sitting next to my red microfiber velvet theater chair? That just wouldn't do. The tray would definitely have to blend in at least a little bit. (Besides, if I bought UT trays, Jeff would probably want an ASU set as well, and who needs eight of those things?) In the meantime, I guess we'll have to stick with plates in our laps, glasses in our hands, and eating dinner at the table.