Our Thanksgiving Table

My husband read an interview with a British actor many years ago.  The actor had been temporarily living here in the U.S. while filming a movie.  The interviewer asked him what he thought of American holidays, and the actor replied that he really enjoyed Thanksgiving.  He said it had many of the best qualities of Christmas -- time spent with family and good food, but without the pressure of gift giving.  We had never thought of it that way before, but we realized he had made an excellent observation.  Thanksgiving is special, and we love it.

We have much to be thankful for here at Forest Manor.  We have each other, our son, our extended family, and Duncan.  ;)  We also have a home, plenty of food to eat, medicine, clothing, and money left over to enjoy our hobbies.  We are thankful, also, to live in a free country.

Will you be traveling for Thanksgiving this year, or will family gather at your house?  We'll be going to my parents' house with our son, and my sister will join us there, as well.

Even though we're not having folks over here, I still enjoyed setting a pretty table this year.  I haven't done a Thanksgiving tablescape here at home since my first year of blogging.  You can see that table Here.  This table is actually very similar, but I made a few, small changes.  For the dinner plates, I used Lenox "Classic White."  For the salad/dessert plates and bowls, I used Johnson Brothers "His Majesty."  The flatware is our wedding stainless, Oneida "Tennyson."  I'm using the same quilted placemats I used in 2011 and the same napkins, but this time I chose to use our engraved pewter napkin rings.

This cornucopia belonged to my mother-in-law, along with most of the fruit, and she was kind enough to give them to me several years ago.  Over the years, I've added to the collection -- the Indian corn, the various pumpkins, and the golden pear.

I found a garland of faux Bittersweet a few years ago at A. C. Moore.  This year I clipped some pieces off the garland, and wrapped and tied them to use as candle rings.  

You saw my barley twist candlesticks on our fall mantle back in October.  I was thrilled to find these on e-Bay this year.  Back in September, I found a package of three turkey candles at Michael's, and they make a fun addition to the table.

I added our apple and pear salt and pepper shakers to this end of the table, along with a butter dish and butter knife.

A dish for cranberry sauce and a silver-plate server are placed at the other end of the table.  I purchased this table runner back in 2011 from Sherry, who blogs at "The Charm of Home."  Sherry is very talented, and she has a beautiful blog.

You can see the runner better in these pictures from 2011 --

If we were eating the big Thanksgiving meal at our home, we would have the food spread out in the kitchen for everyone to serve themselves buffet-style.  Our dining table has two leaves to extend the length, but unfortunately our dining room is too small to accommodate a table that big.

In addition to the fruit, vegetables, and leaves, I added antlers, pheasant feathers, and faux acorns to the centerpiece.

The praying hands were a gift from my husband's grandmother, who made them years ago in ceramics class.

I love the teacups for this china pattern.  The sugar and creamer are actually pottery pieces from Seagrove, North Carolina, where potters have been making their wares since Colonial times.

This table was a pleasure to put together -- a celebration of the harvest season and all the rich colors of autumn.

I appreciate your visit; I'm so thankful for my readers and my blog friends.  Have a blessed week.


Denise

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