Even though Thanksgiving conjures up images of pilgrims and Indians, you can choose from a variety of colors and styles aside from this traditional theme for decorating. Choose from the many colors, items, and accent pieces in the following table to get ideas or inspiration for your Thanksgiving decorating.
Because Thanksgiving is centered around celebrating a bountiful harvest, preserved flowers and displays of fruit fit into the decorating scheme. Although you may not like the idea of decorating with potatoes or rhubarb, you can refer to their colors when choosing accessories or accent pieces. Of course, if you want to decorate with sweet potatoes, don’t let anyone stop you!
| Colors | Fabrics | Botanicals | Accent Items |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deep tones of reds or wines | Velvets | Pumpkins and gourds | Woven baskets |
| Browns | Chenille | Autumn Leaves | Wreaths made of natural materials such as vines, wheat, leaves, twigs, or berries |
| Purples in eggplant or grape | Heavy cottons | Twigs | Metals in antiqued gold, bronze, or rust finishes (pewter is pretty for this holiday as well) |
| Greens: from deep sage to light pear | Fleece | Sheaves of wheat | Earthenware |
| Golds: from bright yellows to antiqued gold | Tweeds | Nuts | Candles in pillars, tapers, or votives |
| Creams: from ivory to white | Flannels | Chrysanthemums | Pilgrims |
| Oranges: from pumpkin to sweet potato | Wools | Roses | Native American Indians |
| Tapestries | Fruit: pomegranates, cranberries, grapes, blackberries, kumquats, apples pears | Cornucopias | |
| Vegetables: corn, rhubarb, sweet potatoes, beets, squashes |