How To Set a Fabulous Thanksgiving Dinner Table

The fall holiday season is just great; especially for kids (of all ages). Involving your children in holiday decorating allows you to share a very positive activity with them and gives you the opportunity to teach them something about the holiday at the same time.

When the holiday in question is Thanksgiving, there are a number of décor components children can find to make your Turkey Day table festive. Colored leaves are a great place to start. You can even make a game of finding them and give prizes for the biggest, most colorful and prettiest leaves. Be sure to collect a lot of leaves, and gently wash and pat them dry before using in your décor.

Traditionally, Thanksgiving tables feature a cornucopia, which can be impressive without getting in the way of dinner table conversation the way that a taller table decoration might do. You can buy a big wicker version for the centerpiece and several smaller ones to serve as place card holders for family and guests.

Begin by centering the large model on the table on top of a pretty white linen table runner. Fill the big cornucopia with fall fruits such as apples, oranges and grapes, being careful to arrange them so that the grapes don’t get crushed and stain the table runner. Let family members know these fruits are NOT for eating until the day after Thanksgiving! Alternately, you could use miniature pumpkins, squash and gourds.

Ask the children to place the colorful fall leaves they found around the base of the cornucopia. You can also scatter some unshelled nuts around it, too—Brazil nuts, walnuts and pecans are best, because peanuts are just too easy for people to pick up and crack with their fingers.

Buy some fat, pillar type candles in autumn colors and set them on small terra cotta plant saucers that will catch the melting wax. Be sure to stick some adhesive felt to the undersides of the saucers before putting them on your table to avoid scratching your tabletop. If you have young children, you may also want to use double sided tape to secure the candle base to the saucer beneath. Let the kids arrange nuts, berries and some small fall leaves to hide the saucers.

Use colorful linens as well, but make sure they are in solid fall colors such as fern green, deep crimson red and burnt orange so as not to take away from your cornucopia centerpiece on its pristine white table runner. Solid wood napkin rings add a nice earthy touch, too.

Fill each of the small cornucopias with leaves, and then attach a white homemade place card on top; one for each of your visitors. Get the kids involved here too, allow them to write the names on the place cards or decorate each one with stickers and unique art.

Now all you have to do is prepare your Thanksgiving feast, welcome your holiday visitors into your home and enjoy your fabulous festive table.

©2007, Kathy Burns-Millyard

Related Article: Creating a Table Centerpiece for Any Holiday