Thanksgiving Decor You Can Store in One Box

By Marni Elyse Katz
November 11, 2011

Thanksgiving Decor

left: Who needs flowers? Here, a wicker basket is arranged with pine cones, leaves, and glass grapes. (photo via Flickr); right: If you have a fantastic collection of silver, play it up using silver centerpieces too, says collector Maura Horton.

Thanksgiving décor doesn’t need to be stodgy or kitschy. You can easily set a table that’s sophisticated, rustic, modern, or full of charming whimsy without breaking out your grandmother’s dated china or kids' Pilgrim crafts (though a few of the latter never hurts).

You can go minimalist with an all white table, using your everyday plates and a cornucopia of white gourds. Or for a vintage but still dressy feel, break out your amber glass collection and mix it with your gold-rimmed wedding china. You can even go Indienne, using a hot pink damask tablecloth as a base and mixing in more traditional orange accessories. A Danish modern Thanksgiving table is also an option. Teak candlesticks and serving pieces look fresh with yellow and green tableware.

The best part is that you really don’t need to hoard (and worry about storing) a too large load of accoutrements that you’ll only use once a year. Most of the things that make a beautiful holiday table you already have, or can find on your next trip to the grocery store or thrift shop. Earmark just one container for Thanksgiving specials, like turkey tureens; no need to go overboard.

Thanksgiving Decor

For a hearty romantic look, group rustic serving pieces around a candle and mini pumpkin. (photo via Flickr)

Thanksgiving Decor

A conglomeration of mini tiger pumpkins on multi levels.

Maura Horton, an avid collector of holiday decorations who lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, likes to use silver pieces, like mercury pumpkins, in place of flowers. Combined with plenty of candles, they set off a fantastic ethereal glow. Boston area interior designer Elizabeth Benedict fills silver bowls and hurricanes with fresh cranberries and pumpkin-scented candles. She incorporates natural elements wherever possible, including serving her husband’s butternut squash soup out of the cored-out squash.

Austin, Texas event planners Camille Styles also loves to incorporate bits of nature on her tables, especially at Thanksgiving. She mixes classic pieces, like delicate glass candlesticks and silver mint julep cups, with white tableware and plenty of stripey little pumpkins. At one event, she grouped mini gourds on a raised cake stand as well as the table to add multi-level interest.

Thanksgiving Decor

A clean, modern Thanksgiving table with a palette that takes the traditional holiday colors and revs them up. (photo via Flickr)

Thanksgiving Decor

A Thanksgiving table set with vintage amber glass. (Photo via Flickr)

Sara Tomko, a graphic designer who lives in Baltimore, set an adorable Thanksgiving table last season. (See it pictured below.) She says, “It started with the squirrel placeholders, which I saw in Martha Stewart Living. I filled the [paper logs the squirrels are perched on] with candy. The centerpiece was made from odds and ends I got from thrift stores (like oversized acorn ornaments) set in a wooden bowl to match the woodland theme. The cloth napkins were also thrifted and the plates were just a collection of whatever I had in the house. I am a graphic designer, so I had to have a beautifully designed menu!”

Thanksgiving Decor

Graphic designer Sara Tomko set a whimsical table last Thanksgiving.

Style your Thanksgiving table with finds from eBay:

Silver Mercury Glass Pumpkin

(buy it now price, $79.95)

These are gorgeous for those who prefer to set a silvery Thanksgiving table.
Norpro "Davy Crackit" Squirrel Nutcracker

(buy it now price, $19.95)

Silver squirrels are cute, and a lot less trouble than the critters in your yard.
Vintage Turkey Chocolate Mold

(starting bid, $9.99)

Antique candy molds can be used for decoration too, or even to make guest soaps if you’re so inclined.
25 Gourd Turks Turban Gourd Seeds

(starting bid, $.99)

Pumpkins take up a lot of space in the garden, but gourds are much more manageable to grow yourself. Set them on the table and around the house when they harvest.
Thanksgiving Turkey Transferware Plate

(starting bid, $10.99)

Rather than buying a whole set of holiday china you'll use only once per year, get just one of these collectible dinner plates and use it to serve cookies or cheese and crackers.
1976 French Majolica Pumpkin Tureen with Ladle

(buy it now price, $233)

Start a collection—set each place with a different gourd, pumpkin, or turkey tureen.
Williams-Sonoma Autumn Harvest Pumpkin Tureen

(buy it now price, $59.99)

This tureen is large enough to be the center serving piece.
Vintage Italian Ceramic Mini Turkey Tureen Gravy Boat

(buy it now price, $14)

Dispense the gravy right from the source: a gobble gobble guy!
French Design Tablecloth Red Gold Green-Pierre Deux Country French

(starting bid, $26.99)

French country patterns actually work well as the basis for a Thanksgiving theme.
Mid Century Danish Modern Candlesticks

Add a modern silhouette to your table with these simple teak candlesticks.
Scheurich Fat Lava West German Pottery Vase

(starting bid, $12.70)

The colors and earthy feel of this vase will work perfectly with a harvest theme.
Williams-Sonoma Thanksgiving Entertaining Cook Book

(buy it now price, $8.99)

Classic recipes for the most classic American holiday on the calendar.
Set of Four Pumpkin Placecard Holders

(starting bid, $10)

Ask your kids to write guests' names in autumnal colors for these pumpkin placecard holders.
22 Glass Cylinder Vases

(buy it now price, $49.99)

Fill these plain glass cylinders with autumn treasures, like acorns and tiny gourds. Even green lentils look great.
10 Blown Glass Acorn Ornaments

(buy it now price, $17.99)

Do double duty: Tie cloth napkins with a grosgrain ribbon using one of these as a charm. Then, let your guests take the little glass acorn charm home.