If canning jars were my everyday glasses, I think I'd be needing a 'nice' set of glassware for dinner parties.

I've got room for two sets of glasses, but I can see how many wouldn't.

I don't care for them. Seems like they dribble on my shirt. Yes, I'm a little clumsy.

there's a bar in long branch that serves beer in mason jars. guinness just tastes better when served in a jar!

Get some glasses at Ikea -- I like the look of canning jars, but after a while the lip, which was not designed for drinking, gets annoying.

I keep a ton of canning jars on hand and use them in place of tupperware when possible. In a pinch, they serve as glasses too, although I do have a "regular" set! Keep your jars, just downgrade the use.

I love to store things in jars but I only like to drink from them occasionally. Usually the only time I drink from them is at restaurants but it takes me back to my childhood and brings back country memories - I love it and I'm sure that if I drank from them everyday I would lose that special feeling after a while.... so, every now and then is best in my opinion!

http://www.twohealthyplates.com

i love them.

Shabby chic and great for casual use.

Why not get the mason jars with handles for such things? Easier to drink out of...

I've never used my canning jars for drinking, but I do use them for leftovers, dry food storage, craft storage and just about everything else.

I love them but understand how others don't. I wouldn't serve them to a guest but they serve me just fine. When I'm not using them for canning they'd just sit around...

Perfect for picnics :)

Yay, mason jars! Love ours, and we use them for everything.

LOVE THEM. use them for drinking all the time

I use canning jars for all kinds of food storage--dry goods, left overs, homemade salad dressing, even measuring if a jar is handier than a measuring cup. But until this summer, it had been 20 years (college days!) since I had used them to drink out of. But lately, I've reverted back to using canning jars for everyday drinking. The lid is handy for taking drinks in the car or to the garden and no more stinky water bottles to deal with.

They're extremely casual, I have a designated wide mouth pint jar for coffee in the morning. They're sturdy and great for informal gatherings.

Drink out of whatever you like, but *never* feel like you can't have a dinner party because you don't have anything 'nice' to drink out of!

I use them for dinner parties all the time. If anyone has ever thought less of me because of it, well--I don't think we're meant to be friends!

(I wrote a whole book about this--www.forkingfantastic.com.)

I use my canning jars for canning! And sometimes, when I have some empty ones lying around, I use them for leftovers, but never as drinking glass.

I don't use them to drink out of, but I don't mind them. It depends on what you're using them for. If I went to the trouble of making a nice meal and inviting friends around, I might forgo the casual jars. If it's a party with snacks and music and loud chatter, who cares what you're drinking out of?

They are great in the pantry for storage of dry goods that I normally buy in bulk (quinoa, split peas, etc.) and use them at parties when I am serving things that need to stand upright such as breadsticks. But as glasses, no thanks.

I don't mind them as drinking glasses at all, I plan on using them at our wedding. A friend of mine hosted a dinner party just the other night with canning jars and mismatched place settings, it was wonderful!

phoxx, I have the same problem

But, I do have one fantastic jar with smaller threads, a narrower opening, and a handle

I've got more than a few in my cupboard just for drinking

used them for the out outdoor dinner at our wedding. guests we welcome to take them home as part of their favor. people seemed to like it.

I think they look kind of cool. And they are certainly sturdy.

Not a big fan of using them for drinking glasses, although they are useful for so many other things!

They are all I use to drink water from at home. Quart sized for me, and the smaller ones for the kids. They're sturdy and hold a lot more than a normal drinking glass. I like to keep general track of my water intake, so these are an easy way to do that.

I hate drinking from them. The threading on the lip is downright obnoxious. If served from them once at a picnic party, I might think it was cute.
In my home, if they aren't all getting used to contain my canned foods, I use them to hold leftovers. They are designed for storage, after all.

I ADORE using canning jars for drinking glasses! It brings me back to my childhood at my Nana's house. Sweet iced tea is best served in a jar.

Best part is you can always find them on the cheap at thrift stores! They also double as measuring cups if need be.

I agree with dlub, the threading/lip is annoying. I don't object to the canning jar aesthetic, but the thread is unpleasant.

As someone who just recently got rid of all of my POM iced tea 'glasses', I endorse moving on to real glassware.

that's how everyone knows that its MY waterglass. :)

I have a few in my cabinet scattered from left over canning and use them from time to time so I don't think its tacky or shabby or anything. If its your *only* set of glasses then...yes. It works for Cracker Barrell, but in your home buy at least a few real glasses.

I do dislike that come summertime if a photographer needs to take a picture of iced tea, it simply can't be done without a Ball jar! (I know some do, buy from all the sites I skim its an exception more than the rule to see it in a real glass!) I know they can be a little more creative than that.

In the South, where I grew up, that's what you drank in the summer...grape drink or sweet tea out of a Mason jar...that usually had a chip in it somewhere. I think the simplicity, no-nonsense, and complete functionality of them is beautiful, and makes you want to relax, sit down, and sip that sweet tea, while watching the waves roll by on the lake.

I often use canning jars for drinking glasses, but we also have an assortment of other glasses around.

I'd never really dissected this idea before, but on reflection, I notice a pattern: I use jars for water or milk or soft drinks, but not for anything else. When I have a cocktail or a highball or even some juice with seltzer, I drink it from a proper glass. I suppose some unconscious part of me wants to make it feel special, and the glass is part of that.

I know my grandparents used them year-round for ice tea (or in my grandpa's case dr. pepper).

They also had some with a wooden handle on the side of big jars. I definitely want to get some for myself.

shabby chic? I just think they are practical. As my glass collections wax and wane, the canning jars move into - and out of - circulation. So many uses - and they are thick glass so they don't break as easily as some glasses.

Threading. Lip. So annoying.

i'm not a fan of having two sets of anything, the everyday and the "good" set. i'm with those who say that anyone who thinks less of you because you don't serve drinks out of crystal is not the type of person you want to have over anyhow. if you like'em, keep'em.

I had never even seen anyone drink out of a mason jar or jelly jars growing up (mostly NYC & the UK) but encountered it after I got to college.

I can see why people use them...out of nostalgia and because they're indestructible and cheap. But I lack this sense of nostalgia, even the manufactured kind easily developed from images of "country" weddings in Martha Stewart, so their charm is totally lost on me.

I've always thrifted for cheap drinking glasses. If it's for drinking, give me a mismatched set of cute smooth-lipped glasses any day over a case of matching mason jars. On the down side, turning my nose up at mason jars for drinking meant I had to go out and get a bunch of them once I started canning.

I don't normally drink out of them because I have a lot of mugs, cups, and glasses. However, when I worked at Canadian Tire we had a display right by the checkout with mason jars that had handles. They sold like hotcakes.

I have had issues with the lip on mason or ball jars as well. for a little different look, I use Bonne Mamman jam jars. they are a little bigger and a little nicer. plus they are from france.
http://www.bonnemaman.us/

Thanks, but no, thanks.

My main collection of drinking glasses is, like markeeam above, Bonne Mamman jam jars. It's not nostalgic, but it is a little skinflinty, as is my way (Bonne Mamman: get a free drinking glass with each purchase!). I think they look super snazzy as water glasses on a formal table next to my stemware and diner whites - and they are a coordinated set in a way that my haphazardly-assembled pint glasses just aren't. They're sturdy, versatile, and eco-friendly, unlike just buying a set of cheap made-in-wherever and essentially disposable Ikea glasses. Further, wide mouths and straight sides make them very easy to clean. I've never been bothered by the threads - but then, my to-go iced coffee mug is an old tall olive jar...

It's kitschy, but totally not my style. I guess if you're going for the Southern aesthetic in your kitchen, it might work... However, my Southern grandmother would never be caught dead serving anything to a guest in a canning jar. It just isn't done.

Drinking glasses are not expensive. $10 for 4 American-made, hefty Libbey glasses. You can also find good ones occasionally at Goodwill. Half of my Duralex glasses were thrifted and they still look as new as the ones I bought at a regular store.

We have a few of these. Also have some jars from some other store bought items that have the right shape and feel. They are good for gatherings because they are moderately hard to break, and if they do... who cares!

Currently drinking out of one. After having to buy one set of glassware after another because of my clumsy boyfriend, I went out and bought a flat of pint Ball jars and not a single one has broken. They're the perfect size, and the lip doesn't annoy me.

They're terrific for outdoor parties, kids, and adding to a "patched together" theme, but if you've got a nice table that seats all your guests, with a tablecloth that fits it, good plates and decent cutlery, you should definitely have some decent wine glasses. Fortunately, glasses of any kind don't have to be expensive. Our everyday glasses (tumblers) come from IKEA, and wineglasses are available almost everywhere.

OK .. it actually depends on the type of mason jar..
1 quart pickle looking jar = shabby and to big

Ones with a handle cute for a picnic .. but really plastic is easier cleanup..

Lil ones like this way cool IMO .. best for when your looking at your glasses and realized that your throwing a party for 40 people and plastic just wont cut it..

My mom's hippie best friend used jars for glasses when I was a kid and I thought it was SO COOL. I think it's a good idea if you're having a casual party and don't want to create a huge pile of plastic waste at the end, or use your everyday glasses, because you can always reuse the jars later.

I don't care either way. They're great!

I have other glasses for company - I only drink out of the mason jars though. I like the way they look and I like the way they feel.

I really love mason jars, but feel they work better as candleholders than as drinking glasses.

I think canning jars have many uses, and are great if you want to travel with food that needs to be heated up later, or you can't find a travel mug or whatever. I also am a wholehearted fan of reusing things, and once I've eaten all the jam I like reusing the jars.

But I really don't get using these jars as your exclusive or every day set of drinking glasses...mainly because there are So Many lovely, classic, nostalgic, trendy, chic, bold... style glasses that are not expensive! Ikea, sure, but even Crate & Barrel's drinkware is quite affordable for a post-college, pre-career budget.

I work at a restaurant in Milwaukee that uses mason jars for their primary glass - soda, mixed drink and taps of beer. People LOVE them!

I love them! I use the tall quilted jars for water and some mixed drinks. I also have quite a collection of the mason jars with handles. I recently stumbled upon a huge box of small jelly jars with colorful metal lids. They are great for wine and for storing small amounts of leftovers.
What I love about using canning jars for glasses is how multipurpose they are. Have your wine, drink some water, store your leftovers, make preserves. Also, best travel mugs ever. No leaks.

I use both jars and glasses. I find myself drinking more from glasses. Jars more for like when I'm going somewhere and taking a drink with me, so I can put a lid on it. At night I use a jar to keep water beside my bed, and I just lay the flat part of the lid, without the ring, on the top of the jar. I also use them for food storage...chocolate chips, sunflower seeds, etc.

I love mason jars for a party! There is nothing better than having on-hand extra glasses--it's easier than asking people to bring their own and more our style than buying disposable cups.
They're the best wine glasses ever--and not really different from what we consider to be our wine glasses--they're actually clear glass juice cups (~8 oz) with no stem.

love - super cute and cheap. but maybe if you have space and money you could buy nicer glasses for parties. cost plus has some cute cheap ones.

@ Joan in SB -- don't talk to me about Cost Plus World Market...they closed all their stores in my state and I miss them terribly!

Both shabby and shabby chic. I wouldn't like to be served a drink in one. I've drank water out of a bowl out of pure laziness so I can understand, but I wouldn't serve guests water in a bowl either. It's kind of like that. I think since Mason jars are associated with childhood summers, Southern grandparents, and the trendy canning it's become sort of acceptable. I doubt if it was associated with something like the "inner city" it would be as acceptable as it is now.

My husband uses the big Mason jars for drinking water. He's a thirsty guy and he claims that regular drinking glasses necessitate too many refills.

My Taiwanese mom used to save jars for drinking glasses too. She used to buy us furikake to eat on our rice. When we used it up the jars were washed and made perfect kid-sized drinking glasses. Excellent portion control for lemonade and other sweet drinks.

I love them! And I just got some vintage blue bell jars, so now I love them even more.

I cut my lip drinking out of one once, so I don't use them anymore.

I suppose if I'm oblivious enough to cut my lip while drinking out of a canning jar, it could just as easily happen with a regular drinking glass. I still associate drinking out of canning jars with cut lips, though.

We have many different glasses but our mason jars are the household favorite. we have ones with handles and without, and the lip on them has never bothered anyone I've talked to. They are a big hit will all of our company, and bright drinks really do look very pretty in them.

I think the other side of the issue is that using mason jars is a good way to be a little more eco-friendly. For me it's not an issue of "why would you use them when there are cute glasses out there" Why make the world produce more glass so it can sit around for "sometimes" use? It's nice to have the jars serve a double purpose, and I've replaced a lot of products that are often plastic with glass and metal.

I have several washable cozies that are great for hot liquids in the glass, so mason jars have replaced travel mugs, water bottles, Tupperware and drinking glasses.

There are time I still reach for another glass to make a drink feel fancy, but if you like your mason jars, stick with what suits you!

Definitely not chic! I've never heard of anyone using a jar for drinking out of. Maybe if you're away camping a had forgotten your glasses or just roughing it and packing light and absolutely not for wedding guests. I grew up in New Zealand and have lived for my adult life in Australia so maybe it's an American thing it wouldn't be bad if the jars didn't have the ridges around the top but I can't imagine wrapping my lips around that jar and enjoying the drink. In the old days around the depression maybe glasses were relatively expensive but they can be bought very inexpensively these days. If you want a rustic look, put them on the table with tea lights or small pillar candles. Sorry, it's just not cool. There's shabby chic and there's tacky. Sorry but that's my opinion. Drink looks yummy though.