Best Thanksgiving table decor

Buying guide for Best Thanksgiving Table Decor

Written by Jmar Gambol

Updated January 2025

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The Thanksgiving table is among the most splendid tables of the year. From the simplest spreads to the most extravagant, your Thanksgiving table is where you celebrate the bounty and abundance of the season.

Decorating a Thanksgiving table emphasizes the special nature of the holiday. It reminds us that there’s something particularly festive about this gathering. Thanksgiving table decor enhances the dishes we serve, allowing our eyes a visual feast before a single bite is taken. 

Thanksgiving table decor can mean many things, from heirloom pieces to quick and colorful prepacked sets. If you’re looking to add some decor to your holiday table, first decide on a theme. Then, get creative and show off your best.

Candles and lights are always great options for table decor, from simple tapers or tea lights to perfumed pillars and twinkling string lights. If you’re concerned about open flames, consider LED candles.

How to pick the best Thanksgiving table decor

Decide on a theme

For a cohesive effect, choose a theme for your Thanksgiving decor. It could be a traditional theme with turkey art, pumpkins, and fall colors. Or, it could be something untraditional that incorporates unusual color combinations and different decorating styles. You could go contemporary, rustic farmhouse, formal, or fun. Whichever theme you choose, picking one will guide your decor choices going forward.

Keep it personal

Personal touches make your theme special. For example, writing your guests’ names on place cards or placeholders makes them feel noticed. Incorporating items you’ve collected over the years can make your dinner feel sentimental and homey.

Show off

Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate plenty. Show off the best you have. If you have heirloom china, holiday dinnerware, or fine silverware, this is the time to use it. Keep in mind that your best and brightest pieces don’t necessarily have to be expensive, as long as they bring some magnificence to the table.

Features of Thanksgiving table decor

Fall colors

Thanksgiving table decor typically shows off one or more of the classic autumn colors: red, orange, yellow, and brown. These warm, rich colors work well together and can also be used as accent colors against a monochromatic or neutral palette. Contrasting colors, like blues and greens, pop against these hues and can work very well in juxtaposition.

Holiday traditions

Thanksgiving table decor often features traditional symbols and icons of the holiday. Aside from the turkey and pumpkin, there are Pilgrim hats and costumes, pumpkin pies and pie slices, harvest tools, and pop culture references such as cartoons and characters from folklore.

Natural themes

Thanksgiving table decor is full of natural themes and objects reflecting the autumn season and fall harvest. Pumpkins and their smaller cousins, squashes and gourds, are good examples of this kind of Thanksgiving decor, as are autumn leaves, ears of corn, late fall fruit, vine garlands, and pinecones and nuts.

Metallic accents

Some table decor incorporates metallic accents to add glitter and shine. Gilded gourds, metallic threads in table linens, and bright napkin rings are just a few examples of Thanksgiving decor with a golden, silvery, brassy, or coppery gleam.

Inspirational elements

Words, images, and symbols of gratitude and togetherness are often featured in Thanksgiving table decor, reminding us of the significance of the holiday.

Examples of Thanksgiving table decor

Centerpiece

The centerpiece is the crown of the table. It decorates the table and draws the eye, becoming a focal point. A cornucopia or horn of plenty is a traditional Thanksgiving centerpiece. It’s typically a horn-shaped basket overflowing with fruit, vegetables, grains, nuts, and other symbols of abundance. Other common Thanksgiving centerpieces include turkey art and large faux pumpkins.

Accent objects

Thanksgiving accent objects can be placed, distributed, or scattered around the table to contribute to the festive feel. Mini pumpkins, along with small gourds and squashes, are great Thanksgiving table accents.

Table runner

A table runner is a versatile table linen. It provides a festive and eye-catching surface on which to place your centerpiece, your main dishes and sides, and your accent objects. It can work with a neutral or non-themed tablecloth or with no tablecloth at all.

Place cards

Place cards are a charming and evocative grace note for the Thanksgiving table. They add a personal touch of class and allow you to plan who sits next to whom in case you want to encourage – or avoid – conversation. Place cards don’t need to be cards at all. Try fall leaves, small gourds, or anything else that can bear a guest’s name.

Napkin rings

Napkin rings, like place cards, are one of those elements associated with fine dining that add style, sparkle, and texture to your Thanksgiving table. Napkin rings can be made of anything from metal to wood to ceramic. They can be ornate and decorative or as simple as a shiny ribbon or knot of twine. Napkin rings make sitting down to dinner feel extra special.

How much does Thanksgiving table decor cost?

Inexpensive

For under $15, you can buy individual paper or plastic centerpieces in the shape of turkeys or pumpkins; small assortments of decorative squashes and gourds; individual table runners; and decor sets made of plastic, paper, or cardboard.

Mid-range

Higher-quality Thanksgiving table decor costs $15 to $35. In this price range, you can find genuine cornucopias made of wicker; wood, fiber, textile, or ceramic centerpieces in traditional shapes; table runners and tablecloths; cloth napkins and napkin holders; lights, candles, and candleholders; and disposable decorating sets of 100 pieces or more.

Expensive

Pricier pieces of Thanksgiving decor cost over $35. In this price range, you will find hand-painted or handcrafted centerpieces, pieces made of metal and porcelain, decor sets meant to be reused year after year, and fine table linens.

Tips for decorating a Thanksgiving table

• Don’t block the view. If you’re having a sit-down dinner, pick a centerpiece that doesn’t obstruct the view across the table so your guests can see each other and have group conversations.
• Spread out the decor. Place fall leaves, gourds, and other accents wherever guests may sit or gather, distributing the Thanksgiving theme throughout the space.
• Pile them up. For height, stack decorative objects on a tiered serving tray. Stack gourds, mini squashes, fall fruits, and other items on a tiered server on your table. It could even act as a centerpiece.

You may choose to serve food from the table or set up a buffet-style display elsewhere, depending on how formal and convenient you’d like the meal to be.

FAQ

Q. How can I decorate my Thanksgiving table on a budget?

A. You can save money on Thanksgiving table decor by using strategic accent objects against plain or neutral tableware and linens. Plates and platters in white or neutral colors can be used for any occasion; the same goes for plain and non-holiday-specific tablecloths and napkins. An inexpensive Thanksgiving centerpiece, a fall-themed table runner, and some plastic squashes and leaves can give your table a cozy holiday feel without spending much money. 

Q. What should be on the table for Thanksgiving?

A. A reasonably complete Thanksgiving place setting starts with a placemat or charger. Next, there is a dinner plate, salad plate, and soup bowl. A bread plate may be to the left. Flatware may include a salad fork, dinner fork, dinner spoon, and dinner knife. There may be a wine glass and water glass at each seat.  A napkin with a napkin ring should be placed on the dinner plate stack.

Q. When should I start decorating for Thanksgiving?

A. Consider decorating for Thanksgiving right after Halloween is over. To save time and money, pick some Halloween decor, such as pumpkins, that can carry over into Thanksgiving as well.