As a Dutch Girl, I don’t know so much about the Thanksgiving celebration here in the US. But I like the idea of being a Crafty Dutch Girl and make this tradition fun, warm and inviting for friends and family. Over the years I’ve been decorating our table and is a really fun thing to do. Below you can find ideas for some stunning Thanksgiving Table settings.

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Table Set up

We didn’t have much room in our old house, so the 2 tables we had, we connected the short sides, which made it into a long table. I always feel that this way people are less connected with the rest of the people at the table.

In our new house, we can put 2 tables together with the wide sides, so it resembles more of a square.

I used to have a white and gold embroidered table cloth and on top of that I used a table runner, made out of burlap.

Last year I used brown packing paper to cover my tables and wrote “Happy Thanksgiving” on it with a white marker.

Table runners are fun for long tables and a center piece is great for a square table.

Which color scheme do I use for my Fall Table?

Most of the colors you will find on a Thanksgivings Table are the warm Fall colors. A lot of wood (wooden table, tray, cutting or serving boards), orange (leaves, pumpkins, napkins), brown (paper table runner, sticks, pine cones, burlap) green (all kinds of greenery) and white (table cloth, more pumpkins, dishes etc.)

Mix and match, keep it more clean with more white or use fall colors for extra coziness.

Are you having kids over? Scroll down for more ideas for kids with brighter colors and how to keep them busy at the table.

I personally like more white with gold and Country style or modern FarmHouse Style decorations, like lanterns and white washed wooden board, trays or boxes.

Lighting at the Thanksgiving Table

To set the mood, candles are almost a must, but I also like the idea of having super small string lights weaving through the middle of the table. A few tall candles are always very pretty.

I love the idea of using cinnamon sticks or rosemary branches glued to a candle or glass candle holder. Tie some twine around it….and you’ll have a lovely smell during your Thanksgivings dinner party!

I love lanterns, like these wooden ones, to keep the rustic style on the table.

Natural Decoration ideas

I usually go outside and find things like pine cones, sticks, branches with berries. At the pumpkin patch, I always get some cute, small pumpkins. Sometimes I leave the orange color, sometimes, I paint them white with golden dots or glitter. Always fun to add some glitter, right?

One year I decided to make a center piece for our table. The problem was, that it turned out to be rather tall, so friends and family couldn’t see each other on the other side of the table. Good learning experience for me.

Now I use a wooden box which I decorate with things that are not as tall. You can line the box with plastic in case you want to use live plants, like moss. Or line with brown craft paper to use sand or pebbles to give sticks, candles and pine cones a sturdy bottom.

Ideas for Plates and Napkins

For now I am using white plates and wine glasses, because that is neutral enough to add color with napkins and center pieces.

Lately I fell in love with blue ceramic plates. I cannot wait to use them in my next Thanksgiving set up. Oh, wait! Christmas might be a test table!

I love experimenting with napkin rings. In the beginning I didn’t know what those were, because they were not a thing in the Netherlands. Someone gave me beautiful velvet blue ribbons with a golden brooch in the middle.

Other years I wrapped twine several times around the napkins and added fresh rosemary twigs and a brown name tag on it. Or a beautiful fall leaf.

Here you can find a few more beautiful creative napkin rings you can make yourself.

Kids Thanksgivings Table Ideas

With family gatherings like Thanksgiving, chances are that kids of all ages are coming along. More stress? It doesn’t have to be.

Look at these ideas:

• A fun color scheme with for example orange, yellow and green.
• Don’t put too much on the table. It looks chaotic and overwhelming.
• Your kids can make fun name tags for everyone, like leaves or turkeys.

• Use a paper table cloth on the table, so kids can draw on the paper while they’re waiting for the food. On a tray in the middle of the table add cups with crayons or colored pencils.
• Fun and colorful looking paper plates or reusable plastic ones are easy and no fear of breaking anything.

Here is a website with creative ideas for a Thanksgiving, like printable and more decorations.

Oh, and check out my article about an amazing vegetarian menu for Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Danielle

Hello everyone,

Welcome to my Crafty Dutch Girl blog! Grab a cup of “koffie” and browse through fun blog posts about our Dutch family expat life in the USA, Dutch history, Dutch recipes, Dutch things to do in the USA and all kinds of crafts and activities. Don’t forget to connect with me for new ideas! “Groetjes en tot ziens”.