Thanksgiving

Everyone takes a picture of the table before they sit down. Most of us set it in a hurry while the rolls are in the oven, though. A table that looks effortless is mostly a matter of layers: linen on linen, a low centerpiece, candles at the right height. None of it needs a florist. The base 1. Two layers of linen. A plain cloth in cream, oatmeal or soft grey, with a runner (on Amazon) in a different texture on top: burlap on linen, plaid wool on cotton. Too narrow a runner disappears under the centerpiece; too wide and it crowds the plates. ...

Someone is staying over for Thanksgiving, and the spare room is currently storage with a bed in it. Think of it less as decorating and more as setting up a good hotel room: a handful of things that need to work. Go through this list in order and it takes about an hour. The bed Clean sheets. Strip everything, including the mattress protector, and make it up fresh. Not the sheets that are “probably fine.” Wash the pillowcases on hot, and if the pillows are completely flat, replace them; a new pillow is about the cheapest hospitality upgrade there is. ...

Kids don’t really want to sit at the grown-up table. Give them their own space, some things to do with their hands and a reason to stay in their seats, and they’re usually happier there. On a kids’ table, the decorations and the entertainment can be the same thing. All of this takes about 20 minutes to set up, plus a little craft time the day before. The table 1. A kraft paper tablecloth. Cut a length from a roll of brown kraft paper (on Amazon) and tape it down. Put a cup of crayons (on Amazon) in the middle and write a prompt on the paper before anyone sits: “Draw your favorite Thanksgiving food.” It soaks up spills, and at the end of the night you roll it up and throw it away. One roll lasts several years. ...

Fall is the easiest season to decorate a porch. Pumpkins and mums are meant to be outside, so most of the work is arranging them with a bit of thought. And since Christmas lights go up only days after Thanksgiving, several of these ideas are about making the switch easy. Pumpkins Grouped at different heights. Three, five or seven pumpkins on the steps, beside the door, or on an upturned crate. Mix sizes from 6-inch minis to one big 16-inch pumpkin, and mix orange, white and green. Varying the heights is what makes it look arranged rather than dropped off. ...

A Thanksgiving mantel is about plenty rather than sparkle: wheat, pumpkins, dried leaves, candlelight. It’s hard to get wrong. And since Christmas decorating starts more or less the day after Thanksgiving, it’s worth setting the mantel up so it can change over without starting from scratch. Harvest Wheat and pumpkins. Dried wheat (on Amazon) laid along the mantel with small white, orange and green pumpkins (on Amazon) between and three pillar candles at different heights. Dried wheat costs very little and keeps for years. ...

Friendsgiving can be looser than the family version. Nobody’s checking the place settings, half the food comes from other people’s kitchens, and it’s usually in an apartment without enough chairs. So the decor should be relaxed, and some of it should help the potluck run smoothly. Keep it casual Eat on the floor. If there aren’t enough chairs, don’t pretend there are. Layer blankets and rugs in the middle of the living room, put floor cushions (on Amazon) and pillows around a low coffee table, and you can fit ten people in a studio. It also looks great in photos. ...

A tall flower arrangement looks great in a photo and terrible at dinner, when it sits between you and the person you’re trying to talk to. The one rule for a Thanksgiving centerpiece is to keep it low: nothing in the middle of the table taller than about 12 inches, roughly the height of a wine bottle. The exception is anything tall but thin and see-through, like taper candles or single stems in bud vases. People can see around those. It’s bulk that blocks a conversation, not height. ...