A CLASSIC THANKSGIVING

In my opinion, there is no season more beautiful than Fall!

Add a time for offering sincere thanks to God for His blessings to all of this natural beauty; and life reaches the height of perfection!

There is something about gratitude that lifts our hearts and gives them the proper focus.

It is wonderful to have a season where we consciously  put our troubles and sorrows aside in order to remember our blessings and offer up thanks to the God who gave them to us.

LET YOUR HOME REFLECT THE SEASON

My home is decorated for many seasonal activities throughout each year; but this is especially true for the season of Thanksgiving.  Maybe it all starts with the fact that I love Fall.

Fall is my favorite time of the year!

Our schedules seem to fill up with so many festive events in the fall.  These are all coupled with special visits from friends and family.  I simply love all the traditional events of the Thanksgiving holidays!

Where ever you live; be it humble, simple or extravagant; this is a great time to relax and enjoy the comfort of your hearth and home.

The Fall season is a wonderful opportunity to share your love and your home with others.  Open your doors to the people that you care about.  Even better; invite a few strangers that you have not yet begun to know.

THE SEASON FOR OPENING DOORS

This is the time of opening doors wide.  It is the season for extending that same friendly hospitality that Abraham and Sarah used to welcome their guests to God’s table in the ancient days.

Having your home cheerful and seasonally decorated just adds more delightful fun to all of the colorful festivities of the holiday.

What are your plans for the fall season this year?

Will you be enjoying a house full of company or having a cozy, intimate celebration?

ENJOYING THE ACT OF THANKFULNESS

I love the THANKFULNESS that comes forth the most!

Now that November has turned the corner; are you beginning to turn your mind and heart more and more toward thoughts of thankfulness?

One thing I am grateful for is the beauty of the season.  I love how we can join into our celebrations by the way we share our homes with family, neighbors and guests over the holidays.

All of our surroundings become so colorful and festive.

We can’t help but thank our Creator for making the world the way He has.  Thanksgiving is a huge opportunity for us to join in with the spirit of all His creativity.

THE BEAUTY OF GOD’S CREATION 

Whenever I begin to plan family vacations; October and November are my two top choices.  There is so much to stop and pay attention to all around the country.

On so many October or November months of our years as a family, we have either been at the beach or in the mountains.  As a matter of fact; even now as we prepare for the Thanksgiving holidays I am still basking in the memories of our last wonderful family outing of a few weeks back.

MAKE SOME SPECIAL MEMORIES

That first full breath of crisp fall air always helps my heart to get ready for the great joy of The Feast of Tabernacles which I know will then be extended later into our family’s celebration of Thanksgiving.

Will your family come together for a fall vacation this year?  I hope so!

It really doesn’t have to be expensive or extravagant; it is just about stopping and putting aside the time to be together and to be thankful.

Do you share in any religious activities that are very active in the fall of the year?  It is as if God is creating balance as the leaves die on the trees.  He is putting more life into our celebrations.

We enjoy the Fall Holy days at our house each season starting with Rosh Hashanah (Feast of Trumpets, then Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) followed by Sukkot (The Feast of Tabernacles.)

All of those days are carefully observed in our home.

They help to make every Fall a very interesting and blessed season.  These days do so much for helping to prepare our hearts for giving thanks for our many blessings.

The apples and the shofar come out first every fall season.  Rosh Hashanah begins the fall festiveness; and then later on we warm up for Thanksgiving feasting by cooking special fall meals together during The Feast of Tabernacles.

It is a good thing that we fast for The Day of Atonement; because by then we really have had TOO MUCH of all of the wonderful fall foods.  Then in that little bit of a break between The Feast of Tabernacles and Thanksgiving we love to enjoy some very tasty fall soups and salads.  We have come to think of Thanksgiving as a continuation of the joy from The Feast of Tabernacles.

Are there feasts and festivals that are traditional to your family during this beautiful season?

Whatever you are doing this year, there are so many easy ways to warm up all of your events by embellishing them with a little bit of classic fall décor.

As a rule of thumb; It is always a good idea to keep your fall decorating simple and clean, and as natural and back to nature as possible.

DELIGHT IN THE BEAUTY OF THE HARVEST

This is HARVEST time.  It is good to reflect on that aspect of the season and remember why we are celebrating the harvest.  We are grateful to The One Who brings us the harvest.

Harvest times should reflect the many blessings of our bounty.  Because of this, too much clutter seems to work against the focus of being thankful.  Extreme clutter often turns the originally good thoughts commercial.  A better rule is to keep things simple and elegant.

Bright splashes of color placed here and there with things that represent the personality of the season are all you really need.  These qualities make a warm, inviting and thankful atmosphere.

I’ve sprinkled this fall’s blogging with some older pics that show a few of the decorating themes we have enjoyed at our place over the years that have gone by.  This year we are even thinking of combining our events into a book called CREATING A THANKFUL HOME.  It all starts right here with the celebration of a classic Thanksgiving event.

I hope you can find a few new suggestions and ideas that will spark your imagination toward making your own home seasonally festive.

There are some of you that are far ahead of me on this.  You have already made your home a beautiful haven for fall.  My hat is off to you!  I know your family loves all the special warmth you add to their holidays.

If you are still looking for a few ideas though; maybe these simple suggestions will spark some thoughts in your imagination:

MAKING A FALL ENTRANCE

A good place to start is just outside the front door.  Seasonal plants help entrances to have great energy and welcoming smiles.

We all love fall plants.

They are always so full of vivid colors.

At times I’ve used black spray-painted plastic containers as a backdrop for a pretty mix of colorful fall flowers which always brighten up each side of our front door.

Some type of simple, yet pretty plants have welcomed us all through every October and November.

These particular plants were sprouting their little blue flowers just in time for our gathering during one Thanksgiving  of the past.

I used two whimsical little scarecrows in front of each plant.  Then I placed the lovely pumpkin my granddaughter brought us from her time in the pumpkin patch in front of one planter.

The plants and the pumpkin combined gave just the right little splash of color I wanted on each side of our front door.

We also love to add real pumpkins on the front porch steps.

Instead of the usual “welcome” sign on the outside of the door I hung a full-length life-sized scarecrow with a big welcoming smile.

A FEW SCARECROWS AND PUMPKINS

Everyone speaks to our friendly scarecrow as they come and go, and he just seems to fit right in with the whole bunch of us that are living in the midst of this fall decorating scheme.

And what is fall without pilgrims?

We can’t leave the pilgrims out!

PILGRIMS

Cross the threshold and look to the coffee table on the right to see how I added a little group of pilgrims who greet people as they are coming inside the house.

I’ve used these three lovely characters in many various ways over the years.  They are just another part of the family.  If I left them out; they would surely be missed.

I just love having them in my fall rooms.

These pilgrims always look like they are ready to celebrate  a great Thanksgiving.  They add a little old-world charm to our more more modern décor.

On the antique white couch table as you walk inside the living room  is a treat for the grand-kids.

DON’T FORGET SURPRISES FOR THE KIDS

We display a little treasure chest full of things that tell the meaning of Thanksgiving as you pull them out of the box.

Each toy object suggests stories to explain their deeper meanings.

There is a ship that sails, a holy bible, a picture of a stormy sea and a painting of a group gathered around a bountiful table.  This gets repeated year-after-year because it is tradition at our house.

Underneath the treasure chest is a book that describes the first Thanksgiving and why we have this traditional holiday in America.

Not only does it add to the fall decorating theme, it is a great teaching tool, and a wonderful activity for all of us to share together.

FIND YOUR OWN TRADITION IN OUR PRODUCTS

Want a special Thanksgiving teaching tool for your own celebration?   Be sure to check the products we’ve displayed at the end of this article.  I’ve found so many wonderful ways to share our thankfulness through books, toys and home décor.

The treasure chest also contains a small pad of tear-off sheets which we hand out to everyone each year.  They can use these to write down their blessings as we move closer and closer to Thanksgiving.  We usually read these out loud to each other on Thanksgiving Day.  It is something nice to ponder as we sit around the table after dinner.

FIND A WAY TO SAY WELCOME

Sometimes I will hang a traditional fall wreath on the inside of the front door.  Wreaths say “welcome” right away and bring a holiday feel to every day of the year.

There have been other years when I’ve used a fall banner on the inside of our door.

 I love the pretty colors that the wreaths and the banners bring.  They seem to stand out from the white door and the white walls surrounding it.

Of course my handsome little grandson is another thing that I love about this doorway!  He  has  grown  a  bit  since  we  took  this  photo. I’m so glad I saved a copy of this little boy smile; since he has already become a teenager.  I’m still not sure how that happened so fast!

CANDLES ARE NICE

One year we enjoyed a color theme with silvers and whites.  I liked the combination of those colors with some of the black, gray and orange highlights we also scattered around the rooms.

In these photos you see white candles; but eventually we made them more colorful and added some light tan candles instead of the white ones.

The candlelight was so pretty that year as we all sat around the living room on Thanksgiving evening just reflecting on our full day of blessings and bounty.

Some Thanksgivings in the South are too hot to burn a fire in the fireplace.  During those seasons the candles add the ambiance of fire that we all love during this time of the year.

FIREPLACES BRING BEAUTY AND WARMTH 

Of course; should weather permit, there is nothing lovelier than a real fire in a roaring and blazing fireplace.  Building the fire in the fireplace helps us remember how the pilgrims kept warm before electricity; which in turn makes us even more thankful for all of our modern conveniences.

TABLESCAPING IS FUN

That particular year we carried the theme of the silver and white pumpkins in a rustic planter with candles on through to the dining room table.  Candlelight in the dining area is always a cozy choice.

The candles snuggling into the wooden planter were low enough so that we could talk over the centerpiece without distractions.

Every year the table changes in different way.

Some of the photos shown in this article go back many years.  Maybe I’ll get around to taking some more modern styled photos of the navy blue and melon themes I’m imagining for this year.

I don’t feel a sense of urgency about that; since I know that any of the old styles will mix and blend also.

Though times change back and forth and different decorating trends come and go; a classic Thanksgiving is always in style; and simplicity always shows off.

Enjoy the season and don’t stress too much about the décor.  There is nothing stressful or complicated about focusing on gratitude.  You begin to appreciate the basic, traditional things that you have used forever simply because of the memories they hold for you.

That is a more priceless style that you can’t purchase anywhere.

I have to admit that my favorite fall classic dining room table was this next one, which is from yet another year of classic and traditional fall decorating.

This table setting felt VERY classic and traditional with the white plates and the gold candles.

I loved the way it all came together and I enjoyed the little pop of the green from the coasters under the white plates mixed with the oranges and browns.

I have used that same classic table centerpiece over and over in many places.  Here it is in the foyer on my couch table.  I loved it there too!

A fun part of the table each year has become my tradition to make some type of card to place on top of each dinner plate.  These place-cards are always different; but they tend to make the setting more intimate and personal for each guest.

BE CREATIVE

One year I used Peanuts characters with everyone’s name on them.  

Another  year I used a card with a beautiful fall poem which served like a keepsake for everyone to take home.

In other years I was inspired to quote scripture about gratitude.  One year I just wrote a little personal message explaining how thankful we were for the friendships of each of our guest.

One season I left off the names of each person; but put a photo of each of them at their chair and used these photo cards as their place cards.

These are fun and easy to compose on any home computer.

On THE day, I pull out a very colorful and festive array of plates, napkins and stemware.

I have collected way too many dishes over the years and can’t seem to part with any of the sets.

Some of them are things my Mom passed down to me.

Much of these dishes will also be things I will pass down to my daughters and grandchildren too.

I like to swap them all up.

This swapping around means I hardly ever use the same tableware year-after-year, but I rarely have the need to buy new.

Often I will use one set of tableware in the kitchen and a contrasting set in the dining room.

Sometimes I mix all the different sets of dishes together.

DISH ART IS LOVELY

Most of the tables on Thanksgiving Day at our house will typically display a very colorful arrangement of greens, yellows, browns and oranges with splashes of purple here and there.

These colors are pretty traditional for us; but on some years I’ve made a drastic change with a few un-traditional directions.

NOTHING HAS TO BE TRADITIONAL

I wanted to be traditional here before I changed things up a bit; but I absolutely loved the year that we decorated the house like a Tuscan Vineyard and served up some great Italian food instead of turkey.

Also I loved the year we did Thanksgiving by the Sea and Thanksgiving On The Farm.  Each theme added to the fun and kept us from being bored with the normal flow of tradition.

Those family members who have to eat Thanksgiving meals at several places during the same day on some years will truly appreciate the little switches in the themes.

I won’t change things too many years in a row though, because we really don’t want to lose these warm, traditional, classic Thanksgiving themes just to be different.  The classics are always well-loved and appreciated.  They are the best and they never go out of style.

There have been many years when our little house was bulging at the seams on Thanksgiving Day.  Sometimes all three tables (kitchen, dining room and tables on the deck off from the kitchen) are still not enough.

WE ALWAYS HAVE ROOM FOR MORE

In those cases; I just clear a little of the furniture from the guest rooms and create a colorful table there.  Or we have even resorted to using the coffee table with tv trays here and there in the living room.  There’s never a good reason to not invite another person to join us!  A crowd is good and more room can always be accomplished.

Somehow it all comes together just fine.  

The more the merrier!

The traditional settings of the main sections of our home  just seem to magically change each fall.  The colors we chose for summer turn into a focus color we can combine with the oranges and browns of the fall seasons.  This just works well with all the neutral whites and blacks we never change in the backgrounds of our rooms.

Windows can certainly add interest.  Sometimes I change the grommet panels we use with the seasons.  I’ve used yellows and golds and blues and browns in the fall seasons.   One fall season I left the gray sheers over the front windows and I left the dark mustard colored yellow draperies that flanked the large dining room windows too.  They just seemed to go perfectly with the fall colors of that season.

I added some splashes of orange with the pillows of the sofas, and created a mix of bright fall colors in the seat of the white accent chair just inside the front door.  Mixing the colors of the window treatments helps to achieve a better focus if you want to concentrate on just one color.

BE COLORFUL

If you are not very careful our modern love of gray can get to be too dull.  I solved that with a splash of colorful leaves draped over the window sashes.

Some years we like to use a colorful tapestry table runner.  That particular year, I placed it on the white sofa table.  It did a good job of bringing in all of the rich and beautiful colors of fall.

I use this same table runner for placing our shofar in this spot during the Feast of Trumpets, because we always like to have it handy to use during the fall holy days from September through October.

ALL ABOUT THE PUMPKINS

Of course, it just would not be fall without lots of pumpkins!

Inside and outside, real or fake, every color you want to mix; you simply can’t go wrong with adding pumpkins to your fall décor.

The more pumpkins you add to the stack, the better!

Bring on the pumpkins!

I have a very creative friend who made us homemade sangria one year.  She labeled the container with pumpkins.  It blended right in with all the other pumpkins all over the room; and the sangria was a big hit with everyone.

FESTIVE BEVERAGES

She also decorated a large container with a label dated the year our first grandchild was born.  I thought this was such a wonderful gift!

We make a vintage wine every year just to get to use that bottle again!

I love pulling this special treat out.  It is always nostalgic fun just filling it with homemade sangria and displaying the labeled bottle with some pretty wine glasses as we begin to celebrate the holidays.  Here is a photo of the bottle BEFORE I added her pretty label.  The photo of the label is in one of the photos above these.

It is practical as well as fun to have several brightly colored fall platters scattered throughout the house.  Such platters come in handy for holding little treats for your guests.  They are also handy for catching the fall trinkets that seem to accumulate all during the season.

Many years have found me placing a festive  fall bowl on the foyer table next to the pumpkins, or along side of our “Thankful” book.

The grandchildren have to hear the reading of this “Thankful” story every Thanksgiving.

These little whimsical things add a fun flavor to our rooms.  We’ve added other fall books to this collection over the years.

Also; I’ve always enjoyed collecting the colorful little Anna Lee dolls and figures.

You will typically find me displaying at least one from my collection every different season as we celebrate inside our home.  These little creations are cute, small and perfectly adorable!  Sometimes I give them away to others as part of our celebration.

My grandchildren love this fall elf from Anna Lee.  God instructs this elf every year. He allows him to paint all the fall trees bright colors (if he will promise to be careful because sometimes he spills things and color splashes everywhere!)

He often sits on our lamp table by the fireplace; especially when he wants to rest from his labors while he is waiting on his next assignment.

A FALL FAMILY TREE

I’ve framed a photo of our favorite “fall tree” to sit behind the fall elf because it shows off some of his famous art work.

He would tell you that God picked that glorious yellow color just for us!

We watch this one particular front-yard maple tree turn a bright vivid yellow every year.  All of us just KNOW this little fall elf has been out there painting that tree while we were sleeping.                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Another fun idea we have incorporated is to use the placing of some colorful leaves on what we call our fall family tree.

Everyone in our immediate family has a leaf.  Each immediate family unit has its own color.   The family members all placed their names on their leaf and put it upon the tree whenever they first started celebrating Thanksgiving at our house.  That year is noted on each leaf.   Each Thanksgiving year I pull them all out and rehang them on the tree.  The family has grown a lot since this first tree.  The leaves are MANY and we keep adding more each year.

It is fun to notice how the leaves keep growing more and more! Family members love noticing how many different years we have added new leaves to our family tree for each new person that has come into the family over time.

This photo was during a year we got to add a new grandson’s name to the Family Tree!   He was a fall baby; born just one day after The Feast of Trumpets.

Does the smile on my face in this pic with our daughter tell you how much we love this new grandson?  He has had a busy life since we took this photo.  He is now four years old and got to participate when his little brother’s leaf was added a few years ago.

The grandchildren took to the idea of pinning the leaves on The Family Tree so much that they made their own version of this Family Tree in their playhouse.  I loved their tree too!

My oldest grandson simply drew a leaf for everyone in the family and pinned it across the wall of their playhouse.  This little “playhouse” hides in a large walk-in closet between our two guest rooms.  The adults would love to have their space back for clothes and things; but we all have been over-ruled. That playhouse is a very active, busy, well-used part of our house now!

No turning back until those kids are much older.

My husband keeps reminding the kids that it is only “temporary.”

It has been permanent for about eight years now….and they put a Family Tree up for Thanksgiving there.  Where else would we put all those toys anyway?

I guess the “playhouse” stays in the walk-in closet for yet another Thanksgiving celebration.

The REAL Family Tree usually hangs out in the kitchen window.  Sometimes it feels more at home in the downstairs den, and occasionally it has visited the living room.

We also love extending our fall entertaining outside to our back deck whenever the weather allows.

Mr. Scarecrow usually stands out there waiting to greet any people passing by.

EAT OUTSIDE IF YOU LIKE

He is the same smiley fellow that our family has enjoyed for many, many years.

We found him in a trash pile on the side of the road.

Someone had used him for years before us.

He has lived through many rain storms.  Now this fellow looks very ragged; but we just love his thankful attitude. He just keeps right on smiling through every Thanksgiving celebration.

Magical sunsets watched from the back deck add to the fall colors that Oak Mountain views bring to our backyard.

Each passing year I play a game with my granddaughter to see who can count the most falling leaves during the times while we are sitting outside in the Fall.

The scarecrow stands tall amidst the cherubs on the table outside our kitchen window.  An angel walking through the mums watches over them.

One Fall we purchased two pretty brown glazed pieces of pottery that can hold real fire flames.

Sometimes we burn them in the evenings as we sit outside at night and enjoy some of our early fall meals.  It is our favorite way to watch all the leaves on the backyard trees turn different shades of beautiful.

When it gets too dark to see the trees; we look up and admire the lovely stars that God put into the beautiful fall sky.  There is no moon as beautiful as a harvest moon.

The outdoors would be just fine even without any of this décor.

All of the colorful foliage makes its own lovely statement.

Getting to enjoy the splendor of nature this time of the year adds to our whole “thankful” experience.

On a few years at Thanksgiving, I’ve hung a few brightly colored wreaths over the porch light on the back deck.  Also I’ve added one on the door to our storage building.  They add even more color and cheer.

Before Thanksgiving day I always try to buy some REAL yellow and purple mums to add to the colors of our back deck.

The kids love taking their Thanksgiving meal outside whenever the weather allows. 

Sometimes I catch the look on their faces when they first experience that “Fall surprise” of seeing all the changing colors as they step outside the back door.  I especially loved this one photo.

Inside the kitchen takes on a cozy look.  Often the window is full of pilgrims in front of a green bird house (my Dad made the bird house.) Some years I might add a few more fall candles.

On my kitchen table I’ve been known to use a few simple purple bowls for my candle holders.

Adding lots of purple is one of my favorite ways to jazz things up a bit.

Everyone loves a pretty fall floral arrangement.  The black glass-topped island table will be filled with colorful dishes and a smorgasbord of festive fall foods on Thanksgiving day.

It is fun serving cafeteria style.  We find it easy to let everyone walk around the kitchen table and counters to fill up their plates.  Even when eating in the dining room and we allow many who enjoy the fun of wandering outside for their feast on the deck.

I love to fill the kitchen counters and the island table with festive fall foods.

We have enjoyed a few cupcakes displayed in pretty platters.

They were usually topped with maple frosting.

We have also used this pretty tray we received as a gift for holding tasty little pilgrim’s hats for years now.  Thank you Aunt Dawn!

One year we had a lot of fun making some candy turkeys to put on every plate.

I recruit the kids to help make the food art.  They have so much fun putting it all together.                                                                                                                         A few years back, we enjoyed setting up separate food serving-stations in scattered areas around the house.  We created a meat station, some dessert tables, and a bread station.

I put them all in different sections of the main rooms.

We carried this bread station idea over to one of our daughter’s wedding receptions.

It turned out to be a great idea!

You never know where some of these Thanksgiving feast ideas are going to lead you.  Sometimes they carry over to other parts of living out your  life.  Let’s hope the “thankful” part ALWAYS carries over into every day of the year.

Well, I hope this little fall house tour has inspired you in some ways to become more festive with your own ideas for the season.

It isn’t at all about being fancy or perfect; but just genuine and hospitable.

The time goes by so quickly.

Before you know it Thanksgiving Day will arrive.

FILL THE HOUSE WITH LOVE

I’ve suggested many decorating themes and ideas here, but actually; none of them matter at all unless you first fill the house with love.

Seasonal products are lots of fun to gaze at and purchase; but once you mix in the love and the thankfulness, the way you decorate your home will not matter very much.

Any extra decorating products will simply serve as icing on the cake.

BUILD YOUR DECOR A LITTLE EACH YEAR

It has taken years and years to slowly build my seasonal decorating collection.

A good plan is to add one item a year.  Be careful to take care of all your purchases.

Each generation can share with the next when things become part of the family traditions in your gatherings.

These little treasures can become your Thanksgiving treat to yourself which will then be multiplied out to others as you share your hospitality over the years.

I had one timid friend to ask “does God want us to have family traditions?”

Of course He does; just look at all the traditions He established for the whole family of God inside the scriptures.

We are to imitate Him in all that we do.  He is the greatest of all creators and He gave us that capacity to enjoy also.

EARTHLY BLESSINGS REFLECTING HEAVENLY BLESSINGS

Thanksgiving allows many of those lessons in life.  It is a great way to carry on the establishment of earthly things that allow us to reflect on heavenly things.  I believe that most of our Thanksgiving traditions actually came from ideas that the pilgrims got when they studied the bible and learned about The Feast of Tabernacles.

Have fun with the décor of your home; but don’t blow your family budget or let the stress of perfectionism destroy your spirit.

THE NO-FAIL PLAN

What is the thing that all your guest will be looking for the most?

Everyone will be looking at the beautiful smile on your face!  They will all be hoping to participate in that delicious feast that you are going to offer them.  Whether it is a simple loaf of bread and butter with a glass of wine; or a five course elaborate meal; offer up your thanks to God Our Father together.  Offer up your heart to His service first.  This is the no-fail plan.

Want some suggestions for traditional/classic Thanksgiving recipes to serve in your beautiful fall home?  You might also want to read this post:  https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/thanksgiving-recipes/

Wishing you and your family every good and delicious blessing of the season!

Here at The IN SEASON Lifestyle blog; we are SO VERY THANKFUL for all of our loyal readers.  We wish you the best Thanksgiving season ever!