I truly love Thanksgiving. It is a holiday about being thankful, being with family, and being ready to entertain!!! There are some complexities to hosting the Thanksgiving meal – I am not even talking about family relations :). Every year, I feel like I have to reacquaint myself with the basics of the turkey cooking, the stuffing making, and the pie preparation. This is a meal most of us make only once a year – so it takes some time to get back in the swing. I have some great news – The New York Times has a “How To” on just about every detail of the Thanksgiving meal – with great recipes, step by step instructions, videos – it’s almost fool proof!!
Now I am feeling good about the food prep and these cheatsheets will be my life line for the next few weeks.
Let’s move on to the fun stuff – DIY Thanksgiving Decor Projects. Every year, my son – Aidan, daughter – Brynne, and I pick a new DIY project to work on together. Last year, we decorated miniature pumpkin place card holders which added sparkle to our Thanksgiving table. I found the project on Apartment Therapy‘s website.
This year, I am finding myself especially thankful. Here are two projects that I like for our Thanksgiving DIY 2015 – I will have to get the final say from my team. One is from Eclectically Vintage and the other is from A Bird’s Leap.
There are so many clever Thanksgiving table setting decor ideas on Pinterest – you will spend hours just scrolling through. I particularly like the tabletop design inspiration from Decoist’s 30 Natural Thanksgiving Decor Ideas and from a wedding post I saw from Heavenly Blossom’s Autumn Sophistication Wedding. One is clean and white, the other more deeply elegant. I really love how the pale pink roses are mixed with the orange, white and brown tones. An unexpected color palette that is simply gorgeous.
Whatever your decor aesthetic is, select ideas that complement what you have in your home. When choosing serving trays, glassware and even the food and beverages I serve, the presentation reflects the decor in my home. Here is a photo of my living room coffee table from Thanksgiving last year. The flowers (from my fave floral designer – Parker’s Petals), serving pieces, and food selection all work together. Hors d’oeuvres and presentation by the amazingly talented Carolyn Hough from Panetica in Summit, NJ.
Moving on to the meal itself – Having a comfortable space to enjoy your Thanksgiving meal is essential. I am a stickler about trying to seat all my guests at one table but for some, setting up a buffet and letting your guests find their place also works. Either way, your dining room will still be center stage. Sharing a few VGI designed dining rooms that will definitely enjoy the spotlight this holiday.
Now that we are all in a tizzy, I am offering up some great Thanksgiving drink recipes from Food & Wine and the Top 10 Wines for Thanksgiving dinner from The Huffington Post and Snooth. Ahhh!!
Be thankful for a tasteful Thanksgiving. Enjoy!
