Thanksgiving Day Bargains - Ideas for Decorating Your Thanksgiving Table

There is absolutely more to Thanksgiving Day than enjoying a sumptuous Thanksgiving dinner with family and close friends. In addition to the festive dishes cooked and served for the occasion, the ambiance and feel of the occasion can receive a significant boost from appropriate and effective Thanksgiving decorations. While such decor at home, particularly around the interior of the dining area, is helpful in setting the stage in the spirit of the holiday, I find using a mixture of handcrafted and vintage Thanksgiving decorations makes the atmosphere even more charming and memorable .

In considering appropriate Thanksgiving decorations, it's always a great idea to begin with the dinner table. A beautifully decorated Thanksgiving table will surely help spice up and make the food presentation more alluring and appetizing.

It's easy to create impact with some simple decorative pieces you can put together yourself. For a Thanksgiving centerpiece, why not make a pretty flower arrangement and put it at the center of the table? To do this, you would need a medium sized glass vase, colored candles (I like dark red or dark orange), different types of flowers with different colors -- white, yellow and orange flowers would be very ideal -- and a tiny pumpkin.

To create the arrangement, put the vase at the center of the dining table or at any part where it would easily grab everyone's attention. If you're serving dinner as a buffet, you could place it so it's not amidst the food. Arrange the flowers and mix the colors beautifully. When the arrangement is done, you can either place a pillar candle beside the vase, or arrange two tapers to either side of it. Then sidle the small pumpkin up next to the display to add a touch of whimsy.

If you decide you want to add a vintage flair to your table, you can pick up some vintage Thanksgiving placemats from places like Ebay. If you're feeling crafty, instead of buying vintage, you could also opt to buy simple or ordinary placemats and then hand-paint or design them. You can ask your kids to help you out and turn a simple art activity into a family bonding session.

For more vintage Thanksgiving decoration ideas, consider other objects that are routinely used at the table, such as glasses, table napkin holders, pitchers and serving dishes. Some people even collect vintage utensils that make the Thanksgiving meal more elegant and special. Whatever you choose, your efforts to integrate appropriate decorations for the Thanksgiving meal would definitely pay off.