Thanksgiving is two weeks away, so I went back through the blog and pulled every Thanksgiving table I’ve set since 2011. Some years were fancy, some years were very minimal. If you’re looking for Thanksgiving table ideas, I hope a few of these help. Most of them came together with things we already had plus a few grocery store flowers.
Our 2026 Thanksgiving table
This year I went with color. A navy woodland theme tablecloth with foxes, raccoons, and rabbits, my floral vintage Dreselda Noritake China with the gold rims, and gold flatware. Down the middle are paper accordion style pumpkins and acorns in deep red, green and cream from World Market, vintage brass candle holders with rust colored taper candles from West Elm, and a glass bowl filled with paper pumpkins. Woven placemats and rust print napkins tie it all together. My favorite addition are four light pink milk glass Cornucopia found at a local estate sale. You can find similar milk glass by searching Ebay and using the words: INDIANA GLASS Pale Pink Milk Glass Cornucopia Vase Horn. The deep orange poppy flowers were found at Home Goods and they really add a nice pop of color with the light pink.
The entire collection of China was a really great thrift store find this year. It’s in immaculate condition and you too can find complete sets of China at your local thrift store. This particular set is from Occupied Japan and Pre World War Japan.
Now for a look back at Thanksgivings past.
2011: Thanksgiving with the in-laws
My in-laws were visiting for two weeks this year and my mother-in-law did a lot of the cooking. I set the table using our wedding plates, Mikasa Potter’s Art in Stone Glaze White. The embroidered white napkins were gifts from Pottery Barn. My wine glasses are vintage and belonged to my Grandmother. My child in the corner is very excited to eat! You can see the whole post here.
2012: Acorns from the yard
The centerpiece this year was a trifle jar with a vanilla candle in the middle, surrounded by acorns the kids collected outside. They loved adding to it every day. You can see this year was very minimal! Or maybe I added more later. More from that year here.
2013: A quiet table for five
Just the five of us this year. Each of the kids had a feather hat waiting on their plate, and yes, the tablecloth was not ironed. Don’t tell my Southern mother-in-law. But this is what happens with three small children under 7 at the time. We had a lovely pumpkin scented candle, owl candles, and sparkling pumpkins, really leaning into the fall colors. Read the post here.
2016: Gray and white with a little copper
Our table was mostly gray and white this year, so I added a copper mercury glass pumpkin from HomeGoods for some color. Mr. Fox joined us too. We had a lot of neutrals in our home this year and the table settings reflected this as well. See the post here.
2020: Cozy and warm
None of my tablecloths were big enough, so I used a king size faux fur quilt on the table. The centerpiece was white pumpkins left over from Halloween, white daisies, and a glass trifle bowl with faux pumpkins, candles and mini LED lights. The white dinner plates are from Mikasa Trellis White. The small salad plates are vintage Anthropologie with Narwhals in the design. The full post is here.
2021: Black and white with grocery store blooms
I pulled this one together without much planning. White Mikasa dinner plates with our narwhal plates from Anthropologie on top, white Pottery Barn napkins (a wedding gift that’s still going strong), a black fur runner, and black and white checkered placemats. Using a planter brass pot is a great to display a large assortment of blooms. My white glasses pictured here are from Ralph Lauren. See more here.
A few things I’ve learned setting the Thanksgiving table
- Shop your house first. Halloween pumpkins, quilts and leftover candles have all ended up on my table.
- Grocery store flowers work just fine.
- Let the kids help. Their acorns made my favorite centerpiece.
- Nobody notices if the tablecloth isn’t ironed.
Which year is your favorite? Leave me a comment and tell me how you’re setting your table this year.
xo Cathleen
