Man proudly shows off his increasingly chaotic custom commemorative plate tradition of 10 years

Some people strive to make every moment of their lives memorable, preserving them as tokens of their unique journeys. These cherished memories are often captured through photos, videos, souvenirs, or artifacts, evoking joyful nostalgia. A man took this concept to a new level by custom-designing commemorative plates for each year since 2014. The unconventional tradition keeper—who goes by u/hav0k74 on Reddit—shared his unique way of celebrating the life experiences and emotions that shape his journey.

In the post, the memory enthusiast proudly showcased his chaotic custom commemorative plate tradition, which has flourished over the last decade. He treated his sentimental yet humorous plate collection as a badge of honor. The first image in the series featured him standing by the seaside—wearing a bright green blazer, paired with a blue shirt, tie and denim shorts—while holding a small chihuahua. “I started my commemorative plate tradition back in 2014, and it’s still going!” read the caption. 

“Poor Pancho Villa de Palmdale Garcia (the chihuahua) passed away last year. He was 15 and lived a long and angry life,” he wrote. In 2015, he was photographed in casual attire, smoking a pipe while lying in front of a Christmas tree, complete with a Santa hat and boots. Fast forward to 2016, and the plate featured a mix of cooked peas, carrots, mashed potatoes, and a neatly stacked pile of raw steaks with his face on it. “I didn't realize that until a year or two after I had it made. But the steaks were cooked after the shoot and some of them fed to my old dogs,” the man explained in the comments.

The 2017 commemorative plate featured an adorable photo of him with his wife standing outside their home, with him holding a shovel. Notably, the photos were taken and later designed by one of the man’s friends, Soriano Design, and were not photoshopped, as he mentioned in the comments. The microwave- and dishwasher-safe plates were printed using Shutterfly. The 2018 design was inspired by his trip to Iceland, showcasing his smiling portrait with rocky terrain in the background.

The 2019 commemorative plate depicted him as a warrior holding his wife in his arms. In the comments, the man explained that the “funniest” part of his collection was gifting these souvenirs to his loved ones. “The first one I gave to her (his partner's) parents,” he shared, recalling his wife’s mother’s reaction as: “Para espantar a las cucarachas!” (which loosely translates to “to scare the roaches”).

The 2020 commemorative plate captured the challenging times humanity faced that year, featuring the man and his wife enjoying drinks while wearing face masks. This memory likely offered a brief moment of relief amid the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic. Other designs drew inspiration from a music album cover, royals, and a wild holiday experience in the jungle. The collection post has garnered widespread attention on social media, receiving over 68K upvotes. Among the reactions, u/querubinangel praised, “My favorite part is you found someone to match your freak.” u/Defiant-Specialist-1 added, “This is hilarious, especially if you also provide the materials needed to hang these plates on the wall.”