Fun Thanksgiving Place Cards

The idea of Thanksgiving is to gather those nearest and dearest to you for a meal that celebrates all the good things in life. Whether your family or friends are coming from near or far, you really want them to feel welcome at your Thanksgiving table. Besides a fabulous meal and a warm setting, one of the fun ways that you can do that is to have place cards for your table. This is really a chance to exercise your creative muscle and some extra design talent (no matter what kind of table you are setting). Here are some ideas to help you make those special and fun place cards,.

If you need ideas, there are several web sites that you should check out. Most of these sites offer free printables that you simply download to your computer and then print out. You will need to have the right card stock that can be folded up into a little "tent" and be able to stand at each place setting. These can be used just as they are printed or can be embellished using markers, stickers and glitter. In addition, many of these types of place cards also have matching napkin rings that can be downloaded and used as well. This activity can serve as a Thanksgiving craft for children who need to be entertained while the turkey finishes cooking! One web site offered place cards decorated with pilgrim hats, turkeys, Indian corn and cornucopia to name just a few.

If you want to take a more original approach to making your own Thanksgiving place cards then consider the following ideas:

If your group isn't too large and is very well known to you (close family and friends since this may be more difficult with "a friend of a friend") then consider downloading a digital photo of each guest to decorate their Thanksgiving place setting. Whether the photo is from a childhood Thanksgiving or something more recent, this is a fun way to personalize each person's place setting at your table and can add a fun dimension to your Thanksgiving table decorations.

For a little game time before dinner, consider making place cards with clues. This cannot be too complicated due to the size of each place card, but consider using birthdays or numbers instead of letters in names or some other personally identifying factor for each guest. Your guests will have a fun time surrounding your table and trying to figure where they will sit.

For something really different you may want to try an edible place card. This can be something that goes with the dinner (a roll or large cracker piped with each person's name using jam or cheese spread) or a treat for after dinner (a large turkey shaped sugar cookie piped in icing with each person's name). Since you only need place cards to determine where each person sits at the beginning of the meal, it won't matter if they get eaten!

Many hostesses like to send home a favor for each of their guests. Your place card could be attached to a small box of chocolates or a package of hot cocoa that each guest can then take with them after the wonderful meal you have served. Make sure your favors are creatively wrapped and then attach a large tag with each person's name to serve as the place card. Guests will appreciate your thoughtfulness and effort to really make them feel special!