Planning Thanksgiving Dinner - Part 1

Thanksgiving has always been a time for our family to get together and reconnect, and I have always felt that it should be more than just a meal. It should be an event. I want not just the food to be exceptional but also the decor to invoke feelings of warmth, nostalgia, and comfort. As a guy I want a comfortable table that I will actually want to sit around. I want food that is simple yet special. As an artist I want my decor and table setting to be visually balanced and emotionally serene. I want it to be both functional and pleasing to the eye.

Living in an apartment, we gather around our kitchen table for dinner. It can expand to seat eight, though in a pinch we can seat ten ( we've managed to get 13 of us around it one year but that is just too crowded). This year we are looking at at least ten if not more. Any overflow will be set up at a smaller table in our parlor. The table I set for the photo shoot  is set for eight.

Left: Our table set for eight
Top Right: I like to have a balanced look to the center of the table, candles at both ends and in the middle
Bottom Right: I tied cinamon sticks to a large pillar candle with twine. My wife bought the pumpkin on clearance at a pharmacy, it looks extra special sitting on top of a cake plate we never use. 

Left: This simple luminary is made from a pint mason jar that was stipple painted and then baked in the oven to set the paint. We then added a silk leaf tied with twine and placed a votive inside.
Top Right: I originally purchased this five votive candle holder to go in the unused fireplace in our bedroom but it didn't sit correctly so I've been using it on our kitchen table instead. We filled it with gingered pumpkin scented potpouri and popcorn kernals. We then topped them with a tea light.
Bottom Right: I like the idea of something special placed on the plate (last year I tied the silverware with twineand attached a silk leaf and a card with a scripture verse.) this year I made crackers. They will be filled with treats and a scripture verse. I made them using dicarded towel rolls cut down to size and covered with gold foil and ribbons of varying length.