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Setting the Thanksgiving Table Buying Guide

The turkey  is in the oven, the potatoes  are mashed, and the pies  are in the fridge cooling down. Now what? Well, you're not just going to serve that turkey up at the kitchen table without any fanfare, are you? It's Thanksgiving, so get with the festive season and break out the good china  (Don't break the good china, though). Here are a few ideas on what you'll need to set the table.

Tips

  • Count your guests, and figure on an extra two of everything in case of mishaps (they happen) or last-minute additions to the guest list ("Oh, you have a girlfriend now? I didn't know, of course she can come!").
  • Ask all of your guests to be at the house a half hour or 45 minutes before dinner will be ready. This way you can make sure everyone will be there when you are ready to serve and they will be settled in.
  • Set the table earlier in the day so you will have time for cooking or any food mishaps later on. Want everyone to sit in a specific spot? Consider some cute place cards. 
  • Anticipate how much time you will have to make each dish. If you are going to have the turkey in the oven all day, then how will you heat up or cook other parts of your meal? Ask to borrow a neighbor's oven  or have friends and family bring the side dishes, and don't forget about sternos. 
  • Check and double check all of your ingredients the day before Thanksgiving. No matter how many trips you have made to the supermarket, inevitably you will have forgotten something.

Dinnerware

You'll need different amounts of dinnerware  depending on how elaborate your feast will be. If you don't have a specific piece, just improvise with what you have. Eclectic is in style anyway, and people will be thinking more about the food than your plates.

Flatware

The basics of flatware  should be enough for most Thanksgiving dinners. Make sure everyone has a sharp knife for the turkey (although you shouldn't really need a knife all that sharp) and enough pieces to get through all the courses. You might also need:

Glassware

The level of formality of your dinner and the emphasis you place on wine  pairings with courses will determine how many kinds of glasses you need.  The most important part, however, is to make sure you have enough wine glasses before Thanksgiving Day. You don't want your Aunt Betty to have to drink wine from a rocks glass!

  • If you know exactly which wines you'll be serving with your food, you probably know exactly which wine glasses you'll use as well.
  • If you're serving a number of different wines at the same time, or even just a red and a white, you should have all-purpose wine glasses  for everyone.
  • If you want to be more formal, you can set a red  and a white wine glass  at each setting and remove the one that each guest decides not to use.
  • You'll also need a water glass  for everyone.
  • If you will be serving grape juice as "pretend wine" for the children, consider buying a few inexpensive whiskey sour glasses  -- they'll love the mini glasses that are just their size.
  • Serving beer?  Good beers get their own glasses too! The rules are less formal, but make sure you have enough glasses that everyone can have a beer glass  and a water glass.

Table Decorations

Before you lay everything out, you want to make sure that your table looks pretty. If you are using a fancy tablecloth, make sure that it can be cleaned and you are okay with getting spills on it- whether adults or children are sitting at the table, messes are likely to happen. Also, don't forget that linen napkins will leave you with more clean-up at the end of the day. Remember, red, orange and gold are popular fall colors, so decorating your table with these will have everyone feeling festive. Also, if you want to sprinkle some confetti or some (clean) fall leaves on the table, go ahead- it will add a little extra something!

 

Decorative Accents

Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate family, friends and country, so make your table bright and cheery. Here are a few suggestions that you can mix and match to create a beautiful Thanksgiving table. Another great bonus is that, unlike a full set of separate Thanksgiving dishes, a few small ornaments will not take up much space in storage between Thanksgivings!

Cornucopia 

Thanksgiving Napkin Rings 

Wine Charms 

Salt and Pepper Shakers 

Candles  and Candle Holders 

Menu Cards 

Toy Turkey 

Indian Corn 

Flowers 

Mini Pumpkins 

Related Guides

External Links

  • eHow.com: Tips for decorating a thanksgiving table.