How to Decorate a Thanksgiving Dinner Table

Having family and friends over for Thanksgiving dinner this year? A homemade holiday centerpiece and a few accessories will add just the right touch of elegance to your table. Follow the tips below and you'll be sure to impress your quests this Thanksgiving.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Fresh flowers in autumn colors
• Small pumpkins
• Colored glass marbles
• Candles
• Place cards and holders
• Tablecloth
• Cloth napkins
• napkin holders

1. 
    
   Large dining room table

   The first step is to set up your table. Determine how many guests you will need to seat and make sure you have enough chairs. Try to provide a kids table if needed.

2. 
    
   Fine China collection

   Next, take out your finest china. Make sure every piece is in good condition. If it is white or cream, you will be able to choose from a large color scheme. If it has detail or is colorful, try to match it with autumn colors. Solid colors would be very helpful here. See my links below.

3. 
    
   Choose a color!

   Make your color choice for your table cloth. Cream or gold will make excellent for almost any Thanksgiving table. However, you may choose to be a little more creative in your color choice by choosing a burnt orange, crimson red, or dark green. Once again, you will want to stick with a solid color with very little pattern.

4. 
    
   Autumn napkin holder

   If you don't already have them, now is the time to purchase some cloth napkins. These look more elegant and there is a variety of folds you can experiment with before placing them on your table. You can also opt to purchase some festive autumn napkin holders. You may choose for them to be the same color as your tablecloth or you can pick a color that will complement it and add more detail.

5. 
    
   Festive Thanksgiving centerpiece

   Now that you have chosen the main colors, you should start thinking about your centerpiece. This is how you can easily tie all of your colors together. You can make your centerpiece as elaborate or as simple as you would like. For a longer table, you can fill three small matching vases with fresh autumn flowers. You can also make a centerpiece with candles, small pumpkins, and fake leaves and berries. Spread colored glass marbles on your table in the center for some extra sparkle. Be as creative as you want here. You can find a large variety of decorations at craft stores such as Michaels or the Hobby Lobby. See my links below.

6. 
    
   Proper place setting

   Make sure that your plates, dinnerware, and glasses are all assembled in order. Add namecards to each place setting.

7. 
    
   Happy Thanksgiving

   Enjoy your Thanksgiving feast!

Tips & Warnings

• Try to avoid an all white theme. Autumn and Thanksgiving are all about warm colors...so be creative!!
• Don't forget the kids table. You will need the extra room and probably don't want little ones eating off of your fine china!
• Experiment with various centerpieces. As long as you stick with the theme, you can't go wrong!
• Pulling off a huge Thanksgiving feast can be hard and tiresome. Remember to be thankful that you have people to share it with and enjoy!!

[ptb49er]

on 12/3/2008 Excellent article...we hosted this year and my wife did a good job at the decorations. You are right about hosting a big party can be tiresome. Thanks for the tips, we can use them next year :)

[luv2laugh]

on 11/11/2008 Great article. For the kids table, you can have your children plan the centerpiece or provide crafts to decorate the table at dinner time.

[smilesatme1]

on 11/9/2008 nice tips!

[Arc4life]

on 11/9/2008 5/5 Very Timely ehow Artcle especially when everyone is getting ready for Thanksgivings. This year I am cooking, so your ideas will be useful.Thanks- NJ

[Treakins21]

on 11/9/2008 Great tips! I will definitely keep them in mind this year.