The holidays bring family and friends together like no other time of the year. In my family, Thanksgiving dinner was a larger get together than Christmas. With extended families and some people wanting to take a vacation, it leaves Thanksgiving open to receiving more guests. Planning a menu is stressful enough and considering how to wow your guests with seasonal decor can put a persons nerves over the edge!
Let me share a few ideas that might help take some of the burden off. And maybe you could take some of these ideas and incorporate things you have around the home so that you don’t have to run to the store. Some of these ideas can cross over to your Christmas decor and that is OK. For you may not see your Thanksgiving guests again in a month. Make it festive and make it effortless!
I love decorating with cranberries this time of the year. The red berries are so colorful and can be used in a variety of ways…and might just be on a shelf in your refrigerator.
Grab a needle, some sturdy thread or twine and string the berries to make a garland that you can drape within your greens. Be it running down the center of your dining table, draped over books on your coffee table, or along your mantel or Christmas tree. You can alternate the berries with popcorn or a wood bead.
Cut a few eight inch lengths of greens from your outdoor shrubbery. I cut from my juniper bushes. Curl the greens around the bottom of a vase. Add cranberries and some water. Float a candle in the water and you have a lovely centerpiece. Make a large one for the center or trail a few down the center of your table.
Make a fun and easy drink. Add a sprig of rosemary and a few cranberries into a glass and add an inch or two of water. Freeze and then pour your beverage of choice over the colorful base.
Grab two clear glass vases, one more cylindrical to fit inside a larger vessel. Add cranberries between the two vases. You now have a center vase that you can insert floral. The stems won’t poke through the cranberry fill and you have a vibrant arrangement.
Try drying some fruit slices of oranges or apples and add them to your decor. If you begin your arrangements with a base of green, you can add almost anything to make it interesting.
Tie a table runner, a ribbon, or a piece of fabric around the backs of your dining chairs. Attach a festive floral pick or some fun decor to the wrapped piece. Maybe even trail a ribbon down the back of the chair. Add your guests initial made of metal or wood instead of a place card on the table.
Look around your home. What can you use in a different way to elevate your holiday decor? Don’t stress….you got this!
Michael Siewert is an interior designer in Augusta who also has a lifestyles television show on WRDW that runs Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons.
