Decorating Your Table With Thanksgiving Gift Baskets

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. It is hard to believe how quickly time goes by; it seems like just yesterday I was making my New Year’s resolution. With Thanksgiving come roasted turkey; mashed potatoes; Grandma’s famous recipe salad and pumpkin pie with peaks of whipped cream! Thanksgiving is when we get together with family – the one’s you like and enjoy being around, and the one’s you are happy to see only once a year! Watching my father stand at the head of the table and carve the big bird is a memory that will stay with me forever. All of these are traditions that are handed down from generation to generation. Some are so old and ingrained in us that we aren’t even sure when or where they got started, they are just a part of us. The nice thing about traditions is; you can start a new one anytime. Anytime you make a change – such as moving out on your own, getting married or divorced, or for no reason at all.

With the Thanksgiving season approaching, now is a good time to think about what you are going to have on the menu and how you are going to set your table. Of course you will need to have a centerpiece. This year, why not impress your guests with a home-made Thanksgiving gift basket? Imagine their astonishment when they sit down to your table and realize that not only did you make the turkey dinner, you made the beautiful arrangement that graces your table as well.

Thanksgiving gift baskets can come in all sizes, shapes, and colors. You might want to decide to choose a specific color scheme for your centerpiece. Decide what dishes you are going to use, and then based on the colors, build your design from that. You don’t have to stick with earthy tones such as browns, beiges or reds if your table setting is purple! You want your colors to flow.

You will also want to take into consideration the style of tableware you will be using. If you have stoneware with everyday flatware, you may not want to have glittering gold and sparkling crystal in your centerpiece. On the other hand, if you are using your best china rimmed with gold or silver, along with your best silver, then a glimmering showpiece would be wonderful!

You can use any kind of medium for your basket, depending on the effect you want. Use a turkey shaped enamel vase, a wicker basket or a rustic metallic box for a more traditional look. For a touch of elegance, experiment with a crystal vase, glass tray or an ornate silver platter. Let your imagination go.

Now that you have established what your main idea is going to be for your arrangement, it is time to determine what to put in it. Again, it is good to stay in theme. How about fresh cut flowers or a live plant? Dried or silk flowers? Fresh fruit or vegetables? Fill in your work of art with beads, ribbons, greenery, netting, shreds of paper, small toys, candy or crystals. Your only limit is your imagination! Give the focus of your table a little part of your own personality.

Regardless of how you spend your Thanksgiving, modest or elegant, on paper plates or crystal saucers, you can always dress up your tables with hand crafted Thanksgiving gift baskets.