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Oh my, does this take me back!
Yes, I did grow up with relish trays. Absolutely. It wasn't a holiday without them. I inherited some of my grandmother's trays and your post makes me want to get them out and put them to good use.

Growing up we constantly had relish trays at parties. We would have just plain canned black olives, little gerkins, etc. As we got older my mom started getting stuff from gourmet stores or the olive bars, and would do much better olives and roasted peppers. It's a total childhood memory for me!

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Yes!! The black olives always kept us kids happy until the rest of the meal was ready :) In fact, I think relish trays are more for kids than adults!

When my family visited (once a summer or so) my grandparents on the ole' farm my dad and uncles and us older kids had to go out and do chores that my grandpa couldn't do because of his age/cardio issues. After a few hours of stretching a fence or mowing fields or setting up or breaking down irrigation pipes we would come inside all hot and dusty for the tastiest white bread sandwiches EVER!

Grandma always has a relish plate out with gherkins and olives and other goodies. I have always found this to be so special! Nothing like sweating under the Yakima sun getting pelted with dust with your uncles. I always wished my dad let me hang inside with grandma because I was a girl. Now I am glad that you posted this, because I will be on the lookout for a pretty relish plate. It seems like it would be good for my taco fixin's where everyone serves themselves.

We always have relish trays at family dinners, holidays and parties. We've always had way more fresh stuff veg though. Mine usually consists of cut carrots, celery, cucumbers, grape tomatoes, radishes, scallions green pimento olives, gherkins and pickled cauliflower and black olives if we have them

"Starting at a very young age, I would go straight for the black olives, popping one on each finger and eating them until my stomach ached." Ooohhh, me too! I was known for the "olive hands" trick. Still am, really.

Long live the relish tray!

My grandma's tray always had pickled tomatoes, which my grandpa would cut and eat with a knife and fork - same for the regular pickles!

I also grew up with relish trays on the table; usually just pickles and a variety of olives-black dry cured or cracked green. Delicious.

Neither grandmother has ever served a relish tray to gatherings, but I am fairly positive that my nana keeps candy in one in her living room.

My grandmother always put out olives, gherkins, and sometimes, pickled green tomatoes. She doesn't host the gatherings anymore, but sometimes she'll bring a relish tray. Her latest addition to it is pickled baby brussels sprouts. They're delicious!

My mom put out the relish tray as well - black olives (on our fingers!), pickled tomatoes and garlicky sour pickles.