Grandma’s Guide to Thanksgiving Table Setting

Even with little ones around, I still insist on setting a special Thanksgiving table. Instead of floral arrangements, I’ve begun to use a combination of edible and non-edible fall produce.

The first year, I started with small pumpkins, squashes, Indian corn and decorative gourds. The next year, I added fall fruits like persimmons, pomegranates and pears. The following year, I introduced ivy.

Tips for Making your Arrangement

The key to making the arrangement work, I’ve discovered, is to incorporate”bridges,” linking the elements together. You want disparate items to be grouped harmoniously.

Bunches of red and green grapes, draped over other produce, make good bridges. And last year, I found that weaving branches of ivy into the arrangement also created cohesion, while adding color.

Since aesthetics are important, it’s best to go to a good farmers’ market to select the most beautiful produce. This is especially true of grapes, where big, unblemished clusters can be found–you’re unlikely to get this from prepackaged grapes in the supermarket. When selecting produce, look for ones that have long, graceful stems.

Start kids as young as three learning to set the table to develop good table manners

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Before I compose the Thanksgiving table arrangement, I polish all the produce. Buffing with a paper towel or a soft cloth will bring out the natural sheen. You can add a drop of cooking oil to your cloth, to make produce glow.

Here’s what I like about this centerpiece: it’s kid-friendly–everything is low on the table and there are no breakable flower vases. It’s easy to make, uses readily available produce, and you can consume most of the arrangement afterwards.

Grandma’s Table Setting Tips

• For the sparkle of candlelight, instead of candlesticks, use battery-operated tea lights. They look rather odd, seen in daylight, but put into pretty votive holders, they flicker and sparkle, like the real deal. And they’ll give you peace of mind, with active young children present.
• Give a child her own stemmed glass for special occasions. Miss T has one that’s thicker, smaller and squatter (for better balance) than the adult version.
• If your child is particularly rambunctious, skip the stemmed glasses for everyone and consider good-looking wine tumblers instead.
• I always use place cards, to ensure the most companionable seating arrangement. I seat my two grandchildren away from each other on the far sides of the table so they are part of the group, but can leave with little disruption if the dinner goes on beyond their attention spans.
• Using rustic, colored cloth napkins means no worries about stains from the grandkids’ sticky fingers. I throw all the napkins in the washer and get the wash going, as we clean up after the meal. This simple act ensures that stains don’t have time to set.
• For ease of cleanup, use everyday, dishwasher-safe china with crystal and silver that require hand-washing. Or, use your good china and fill in the rest of the table with dishwasher-safe table appointments. Either way, the table looks festive, with half the cleanup effort. Today, most young families choose not to have fine china, crystal and silver, but for me, they always signify a special occasion.
• When the meal is over, refrigerate the grapes and any other produce that needs it, and in the days ahead, roast the squashes. I bake the pumpkins, mash, and freeze to make pumpkin pie later. Indian corn will keep in your garage, to be revisited for next year’s Thanksgiving centerpiece. Some decorative gourds may survive as well.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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