Holidays don’t get much more labor-intensive than Thanksgiving. Sadly, most houses maintain a Thanksgiving tradition where Mom does most of the work. Yes, we know many of us have Dear Husbands who keep shining through, but let’s be realistic. Cooking is often enough hard work, but here are some tips for you to really go beyond the call of duty and actually decorate the house for Thanksgiving–without feeling like you’re really pushing your luck on the holiday.
• Throw a Thanksgiving wreath up on your door. It’s seasonal and simple. Nobody’s going to think you’re rushing into Christmas, either. At least as long as you go with dark colors for the Fall season. Brown, dark green, that kind of thing. Just grab some branches from the backyard and adorn your creation with ribbons and chestnuts. Best thing about wreaths? The more ragged they look, the more charming they seem.
• Chrysanthemums mean November! It’s a gorgeous seasonal flower, and all you need is one by the front door to liven up your entranceway. Then tyr planting it in the backyard. You might find yourself already set for next Thanksgiving.
• Keep rocking the browns and the dark green. Wrap your door in gift wrap in those colors, and you’re really bridging the holidays.
• Your back yard–or local park–can also provide you with more decorations. Find lovely leaves, branches, fallen nuts, and more to make a lovely display near the front entrance, or a centerpiece for your table. Vines are an easy way to cover a lot of territory with a beautiful effect. Watch out for insects trying to get a lift into your house, though.
• You can also get a lot of mileage out of one big floral arrangement augmented with Fall tree branches. Just place them around your house.
• For another instant centerpiece, take some gourds and beautify them with spray paint. Gold is nice, but bronze or copper is more seasonal.
• Make it Fall inside your house. Bring in some leaves and place them around the bases of all your potted plants.
• And for a memorable artifact of a family gathering: Get a nice notebook and design it for the season, and use it to write down all the best things the kids say. If they need any prompting to be cute, simply ask them what they’re giving thanks for in 2012.
