The Thanksgiving Table

Ok I know Halloween isn’t even here yet and I don’t like to jump the holiday gun (although my husband would beg to differ as he thinks I start the Christmas music a wee too early… he’s right), but I can’t help thinking about my Thanksgiving table. We’ll be hosting dinner this year with my in-laws at their Harlem brownstone. I’m bring the table stylings and cook the crunchy squash & sage, Texas-style cornbread stuffing, roasted sprouts and pecan pie. We’ll all have a hand in the turkey I imagine but for now, I’m dreaming of the table. A gorgeous Mexican vintage farm table that bears an old door as its tabletop, the table itself is a little work of art so we don’t need much in the way of styling.

Here’s what I’m thinking:

I like to keep it simple because let’s be honest, the food’s the thing. A few little simple and thoughtful touches make for a gracious table. I was perusing through Paper Source the other day with the bebes and I picked up a few things.

Menu/Tasting Card:
I’m thinking about using this harvest corn rubber stamp with a pretty silvery metallic ink on the menu/tasting cards. I’ll do a wine pairing with dinner (but of course!) so I like to do a tasting card, listing out the wine with each course and leaving room for notes. I find it engages conversation about the vino and that always makes for happy talk.

A Touch of Thankfulness:
I picked up these sweet placecards that say “I am thankful for” and thought that we could each write down something that we are particularly grateful for on that day. Since childhood, we have had a tradition of going around the table before the feast commences, voicing what we are each grateful for that day. I love it. The little placecards will crystalize that moment in writing.

Placecards & Napkins:
I’ll use the back of the card as a proper placecard and handwrite the guests’ names. I love pinning placecards to fruit and vegetables, so I think I’ll use tiny pumpkins on each plate flanked by these polka-dotted Pehr napkins. Cute right?

Flatware:
I’ll bust out the gold flatware I bought on sale at One Kings Lane- score!- (here’s a similar set at West Elm) and throw some spray mums from Trader Joe’s in a few different vases (mason jars and these zinc buckets that I use for everything) and… done.

How will you style your Thanksgiving table? Tell me about some of your Thanksgiving traditions.

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