In the beginning...

In the beginning, there was no plate. Well, there was, but it was not this specific plate. Colin and Jeannie moved into The Caribbean House where Tami and Joe were kind enough to leave us a plate of goodies. That was an ordinary plate. We sent the same, ordinary plate back with new goodies. Tami and Joe, not wanting to be outdone, sent it back with new goodies. Again, the same, ordinary plate. That's how the tradition started.

Jeannie or Colin said:

Hey! We need a new plate. We need a better plate. We need a plate that nobody would want to keep in their house. It must be ugly. It must be...

Then we took a trip to Value Village to find the perfect plate. There was only one choice--"Rock City."

Rules of The Plate

These are the official rules for passing The Plate:

1. The Plate must contain a sugary comestible hereafter referred to as "the treat."


2. The treat must be a new treat, not previously given by the other party. It can be the same type of treat, but cannot be the same exact treat.


3. You must accept The Plate when given to you if all other rules are followed by the giving party.


4. When accepting the plate, if any non-Cutler or non-Sprague is present, you must explain to the individual(s) the tradition and show them the plate.

The penalty for breaking any of the above rules is that you must claim The Plate as your own and proudly display it in a location in your home that is visible to ALL visitors.