Decorating For Thanksgiving

By Alden Smith

Fall is typically the time that we move indoors and begin the holiday season.  Beginning with Thanksgiving and ending with New Year's, we see much to celebrate.  Because Thanksgiving is also a celebration of bounty and harvest, it is the perfect time of the year to decorate the home using these themes.  Here, we discuss decorating for Thanksgiving.

Celebrate the Harvest

• Make your friends and family feel welcome by decorating the exterior of your home with items that bring to mind abundant bounty.  Wreaths on the door can be made of fruits and vegetables, and are not only a sign of harvest but of good health.  The problem with using these items is their longevity.   This is especially true in cold climates.  Make a wreath of fruits and vegetable to decorate the door on Thanksgiving Day when you are having guests for dinner. 
• Otherwise, use a wreath made of grapevine for the remainder of the season.  These grapevine wreaths can be decorated with dried flowers, ribbons, and small gourds to signify harvest.  They are virtually indestructible and can be changed to suit your whim.  You can make miniature grapevine wreaths to use for centerpieces, or get creative and decorate candle globes.  Use a grapevine wreath around a large platter of fruits and vegetable for a table centerpiece.
• The Thanksgiving feast is the time to celebrate the harvest.  Decorating for this celebration can be as simple as using fall flowers, such as mums in bright colors, and using Indian corn and gourds as a table centerpiece.   Think budget here.  Go out and collect acorns, pine cones and beautiful fall leaves to use in centerpieces.  It doesn't have to be expensive to be elaborate.  You can usually purchase Indian corn at most farmer markets, and it is ideal to decorate with at holiday time.  Top off the centerpiece with a pineapple, which represents hospitality.
• At table, take a tip from Martha Stewart.  She advocates using corn husks for a variety of decorative ideas.  One thing I found intriguing was the use of corn husks for napkin rings.  Simply strip the corn husk down to a usable width, and tie in a bow around the napkin. 
• Another interesting tip from Martha is using gourds and squash as molds for making table candles.  This process is a bit involved, but can be very decorative at table.  If you are into candle making, give it a try.  Simply hollow out one half on an acorn squash cut horizontally, remove seeds and pulp and use a hobby knife to remove the remaining pulp, leaving a shell with the fluted shape of the squash.  Fill with a scented candle wax along with wick, and you have an elegant candle with a Thanksgiving theme.
• Decorating for the Thanksgiving season is a time to get creative.  Make full use of fall colors and the fruits, vegetables and things of fall in your decorating schemes.  This is a time of giving thanks and also of harvest.  Decorate accordingly.

Alden Smith is an award winning author and regular contributor to DoItYourself.com. He writes on a variety of subjects, and excels in research.