With Christmas music already commanding the airwaves, it’s easy to lose sight of the one day that is set aside for people to stop and give thanks: Thanksgiving.
At just about every home on Thursday, two things usually demand equal amounts of attention: football and the food.
One aspect of making any Thanksgiving feast a success is having good TV reception and a perfectly set table.
The basic rule to a great table setting is keeping it simple. Since food is the main décor for this holiday table, the color pattern should be left to basic fall color schemes: browns, oranges, or pale reds.
Start with place settings, using the deepest shade of your chosen color scheme to contrast your plates, which can be organized as soup bowl on top, followed by the mini salad plate, and the full plate for the meal on the bottom to allow for easy access when each course is finished.
If there is a children’s table, using construction paper as the children’s placemats can keep them busy decorating with crayons while waiting for dinner to be served. They also can be easily replaced.
The centerpiece for most families will be the turkey. However, there always is room to brighten the table with fresh flowers. With so many side dishes taking up table space, a trick is having two smaller flower settings placed on either side of the turkey.
If more room is needed for side dishes, the flowers can be easily removed. To maintain balance on the table, two classic candlesticks can do the trick without taking up much space.
Another way to keep the table festive and organized is having place cards with your guests’ name. To keep up the holiday spirit, each guest can write on the place card what it is they are thankful for that year.
Since the Pilgrims set foot in America, Thanksgiving has been a time for people to come together to show gratitude. These simple tips for setting the perfect Thanksgiving table can give everyone more time to relax, eat, and give thanks.
Stephanie Gomulka can be reached at stephanie.gomulka@student.shu.edu.
