Tag Archives: Thanksgiving tablescape

Setting Your Table for Thanksgiving

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Your table setup matters because it can help create an organized way of dining. With Thanksgiving right around the corner, it is time to start preparing for the annual feast. The time where friends and family all come together and give thanks for everything that they are grateful to have. Setting the table the night before the event can help save you time. However, setting the table has a proper and improper way of being executed. Everything has an assigned spot to ensure a uniformed setup. To help you set the table right this year, here is what you should consider:

Casual

One size may not fit all. Perhaps your Thanksgiving dinner is more casual. If you are going for a casual approach, start by setting out placemats if desired. On the center of each placemat, place the main plate, then salad plates go directly on top of your main plate. If you are not eating salad, eliminate this plate altogether. Next, put your fork to the left of the plate, and your knife and spoon will go to the right of your main plate, respectively. Finish off the setup by placing the water glass at the top right corner of the knife and spoon.

Formal

For a more formal setup, start by putting out each placemat. Then place your main plate with your salad plate on top, directly center of the placemat like the casual setup. Place your bread plate to the top left corner. A butter knife is traditionally laid horizontally across your bread plate. Place both your salad and dining forks to the left of the main dining plate. Your knife, followed by your spoon, will go to the right of your plate. You should also place your dessert fork and spoon above the dinner plate horizontally.

With the formal setup, you will be adding three glasses: a water, a red wine glass, and a white wine glass. These three glasses should be placed in a triangle with the water glass closest to your guest. A saucer with a coffee cup will be placed below these three glasses. Place a folded napkin on top of the salad plate and consider adding place cards with each guest’s name at their assigned seats. This name-card goes directly above the dessert spoon.

You can even add a personal touch with your centerpiece, how you fold the napkins, and your placemats. Both these setups will have your guest impressed with your preparation in setting each spot. Enjoy your Thanksgiving, and for more household tricks and tips, make sure to subscribe.

Setting a Lovely Thanksgiving Table

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For most people, Thanksgiving is about food and family – generally in that order! But with a few extra minutes of time, you can also make it about the beauty of the season.

There’s a saying that people eat first with their eyes, and building a Thanksgiving table that captures attention and represents the best of autumn can make even a rather dry turkey taste better.

The photo to the left shows a fully-planned table. With fresh sunflowers, votives, tablecloth, plates, napkins and napkin rings all coordinated to create a Thanksgiving feeling, it looks like a decorator was hired to fix it.

If you have the skills, budget and time to put something like this together, that’s wonderful. But many of us don’t have the Martha Stewart gene, and are rushed just trying to get the dinner on the table let alone make it look this fancy.

Instead, consider something like the photo on the right. A simple gold tablecloth, one or two interesting candles, a pumpkin or two and some apples and pine cones and you’re finished.

White or neutral plates allow you to decorate for any season without needing closets full of dishes. Add the good silverware and some nice glasses and you have a beautiful table with minimal time and effort.

If you’re going to present Thanksgiving buffet-style, how about a simple display among the dishes? A few fall leaves, a couple of candles, one of those mini-pumpkins and some nuts and dried plants and you quickly add charm to your buffet table. Walk through your yard or visit a hobby shop and pick up just a few special items that you can use and rearrange every year to make your Thanksgiving table as special as the holiday itself.