1:46 PM

Do You Decorate Your Dining Table For Thanksgiving Even if You are Not Hosting?

My answer to this question is yes and if you think that is strange, I would like to explore some reasons why you might consider doing the same.

There are many reasons why you might be decorating your dining table for Thanksgiving even if you are not hosting. I have always loved changing my decorations as the seasons change. Many people do not but, Thanksgiving could be the time to try...Maybe!

For a Photo Shoot

To be honest, most people do not decorate their Thanksgiving table for photo shoot reasons. However, since I am a blogger, I always have photos and content on my mind when dealing with whatever I am doing and especially so when I am decorating my home. But that’s just me. You may, however, like to post photos to social media. Taking a picture of the beautiful Thanksgiving table you have created and posting it may not be out of your realm of possibilities. If that is the case, you may want to experiment and be more extravagant with your designs than you might otherwise be. In any event if you enjoy the process, that is a win and if you get a nice photo or two or three out of it, that's a win-win, as well!

Below are a few examples of tablescapes I have made for photo shoot purposes. At the end of the day, I liked this table ↓ so much that I kept it in place and served Thanksgiving dinner on it.

I had done the flowers for a wedding before creating this tablescape. There were all sorts of fun and beautiful floral material leftover, and I decided to use it in the tablescape. I thought it was lovely. Evidently a few other bloggers did also because I later saw my photos popping up on other blogs after I posted mine. Some gave me credit, others did not. Such is life!

While these decorations were over-the-top lovely, in truth when I did host a family dinner there wasn't much room for anything other than plates and glasses on the table. It was hard to fit even bread and butter. So, if you plan on having a crowded table of people and/or of food you probably shouldn't choose this kind of a tablescape. I was lucky enough to have space elsewhere so my guests could

fill their plates buffet-style and then be seated.

Below is another tablescape I created purely for the photo value. I was playing around with ideas and came up with this one. I thought it was fun and cute and very textural. As you can see, there was actually room for side dishes, bread, etc. on the table. Therefore, if you like this idea, you could actually use it to serve your guests. Haha! It is kind of whimsical and would be great for little

ones to see.

Because this was a photo shoot for me, I kept my attention to detail. Making a pretty and interesting place setting is often on the list of must haves for me. Of course, having a candle and a metallic leaf on a plate is totally impractical normally but it works visually here.

I love the plaid napkins and gold silverware. Very Thanksgiving!

Purely for the Decoration Value

What I mean by this is that while you are not planning on hosting Thanksgiving, you may want your house to have that holiday feel. You might be like me and enjoy decorating for all the holidays. So, you might decorate your dining table to look warm and cozy for the month of November leading up to Thanksgiving. In that case, you can stage the space anyway you'd like, simply or extravagantly!

This table ↑ ↓ was also created after I had done a wedding and I had all of this wonderful seeded
eucalyptus leftover. This centerpiece has a shelf-life limitation on it since it incorporates living material. So, it will probably only last ten days to two weeks. However, the eucalyptus and the sea holly will dry slowly and look pretty good. The roses will, of course, not last long and should be added at the last minute or put into floral tubes filled with water.

I have to say, I just loved this tablescape. As I am looking at it, I realize you could use mums instead of the roses if you want it to look more like Thanksgiving. You could also continue to use roses but get orange ones. Ooo! That would look really pretty!

Hopefully you will have a pumpkin or two from Halloween to use in the decor, as well. Just be sure to place it on a plate or plastic placemat to make sure the juice from the pumpkin doesn't ruin any of your furniture. A lesson I learned a long time ago.

Here ↓ is another tablescape on the same theme but slightly different, more harvest-like.

I envision using this tablescape for a lady's brunch or for a small intimate Thanksgiving meal.

The centerpiece can be made ahead and last for weeks without a lot of fuss at all.

It is easy to make, also. All you need is a large tray, gourds and pumpkins, pinecones and greenery.

Fill the little tray below with jam for scones and the little creamer with cream, add some teacups and

you are halfway to a brunch.!

You are Actually Hosting Thanksgiving

This reason kind of goes without saying. If you are hosting Thanksgiving more likely than not, you will want your table to look warm and inviting, just as the holiday suggests. I am showing you my dining table as it is set up now because I think it shows the exact kind of tablescape you should use if you are hosting Thanksgiving. I think its simplicity and functionality makes for the best transition to the actual Thanksgiving Day than all the others I have shown you so far.

I have had this table decorated this way for several weeks now and have thoroughly enjoyed it. If I were going to host Thanksgiving, this tablescape would allow for much space on the table surface. There is plenty of room for plates, glasses, silverware and sides of rolls, butter, cranberry sauce, etc.

If the large ceramic pumpkin in the middle is taking up too much space, I could remove it and put a flower arrangement in place of it. That is an easy fix. You can easily purchase a premade centerpiece from the grocery that would look great! At that time of year, there are all sorts of centerpiece options.

I just remembered another Thanksgiving I hosted some time ago. I was having a large crowd and decided to seat everyone in the finished basement. It was going to include many children and, as I said, it was a large crowd, so I went with simplicity; paper napkins, plastic cups, easy centerpiece. The funny thing was that when it was done, I thought it looked divine even in its bare bones' appearance. Everyone was comfortable and the rest of the house was open to spread out and enjoy.