Thanksgiving 2014 Decorating Ideas & Side Dishes: How to Spice Up the Dinner Table
Worrying about cooking the Thanksgiving feast can leave guests forgetting all about how to present the meal with a festive table! But this year, many new products and ideas that hosts can buy or put together at home will allow for the table-setting to look as amazing as the food.
For Tablecloths:
There are many easy options for protecting the dining table on Turkey Day. For a quick, cheap and interactive option, buy a large sheet of butcher's block paper in white or brown, with enough space to comfortably cover the table.
Not only will it catch any stray gravy or green beans that fall off of guests' plates, it serves as a great canvas for any kids (or adults) to create some artwork while eating. Leave out crayons or markers for the little ones to draw with while the grown-ups are cutting their turkey. It's a completely optional choice, but will definitely help make the table more personal and colorful with some public art from friends and family.
For Centerpieces:
Once the table is covered, a few centerpieces are all that are needed to tie the presentation together. A big trend among food and décor outlets this year is incorporating edible elements on the table apart from the dishes served as the actual meal.
Bowls of small snacks like roasted or candied nuts, or even seasonally abundant dried cranberries, are a nice touch and can serve as little bites for visitors before the big meal is on the table. Displays of fruits like juicy pears or bright oranges bring color and a potentially figure-friendly dessert option.
Another reason that edible centerpieces are so encouraged is because hosts can often find all the necessary ingredients at the grocery market while picking up items for Thanksgiving dinner. As long as the items can sit at room temperature and are not too tall as to block guests from seeing one another, they add another layer to the bountiful spread of the Thanksgiving meal.
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