Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it's the one perfect holiday gathering that combines food and decor equally AND can be shared by all. While your turkey recipe is important (see our top recipe here from Emma), table setting is equally important in telling the story of Thanksgiving, and it's all about gratitude for those around you and having food on your table as the winter sets in.
In my family, I have always taken on creating a beautiful table setting, and as I am thinking about it already, I thought I'd troll around and collect up all the really awesome inspiration I could to share with you. Enjoy and add to the list by linking to your own ideas in the comments. I'll follow up next Monday with what I came up with on Thursday. :)
RUSTIC
Dark colors, rough wood and rustic glassware via Real Simple
Succulents and cactuses from Jonathan Lo's Modern Thanksgiving Pinterest Board
MODERN
White pumpkins at Dwell Studio Blog via Decorology
Pale colors via Shelterness
Nuts as design and Thanksgiving tree via Shelterness
Everything lined up and paired down from Martha Stewart
Arresting dark table at Style Me Pretty
TRADITIONAL
Darcy Miller's Thankful Tree and tabletop @darcymiller, @ Martha Stewart
Matthew Mead @ Yankee Magazine via Host-it Notes
via Shelterness
via Shelterness
KID'S TABLES
From Frog Prince Paperie
From Country Living via The Kitchn
CANDLE, FLOWER & SERVING IDEAS
Gourd, pomegranate and artichoke vases and candleholders via The Kitchn
More white pumpkins on a dark, neutral background via Bohemian Inspire
Candles in bottles via Sarah D'Amico's Pinterest
Corn husk votives from Martha Stewart
Turnip candle holder DIY from Martha Stewart
Pumpkin serving bowl from Skinny Taste
READERS TABLES FROM 2011
A big, beautiful selection of Reader's own tables from last year on The Kitchn.
Must-See Small Cool Homes: Week Two
Beth's Romantic & Retro Residence
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Shaw's Original Fir...
How to Bake a Potato: Three Easy Methods
How To Cook Tender, Chewy Wheat Berries on the Stovetop
How wide are these tables anyway? I'm pretty sure that we have normal width tables in the dining room (2 rectangles budged up against each other to make one really long one) and there just isn't room for a bunch of stuff in the middle if we want people's plates to not hang off the edge and fall in their laps. And no way could we use chargers with a bunch of candles or pumpkins on the table.
Great inspiration! Readers tables 101 is coming up Error 404. I'd love to take a closer look once you fix this. --Thanks.
hi, link to reader's tables is fixed
Am I the only person whose family cobbles together several tables to form a long one and since every table is a different size and possibly even shape, a beautiful tablescape like all of these plays second fiddle to the function of the tables themselves?
The great wall of candles in the Marth Stewart option would make passing the potatoes painful! ;^)
For me, the serving dishes and food have to be the decor, it's all there's space for. But these ideas could be nice for when NOT eating a big meal...
Top table: I want to go there now.
the m Stewart candles are way too many.
Otherwise I like the tables, but am not the type to have such a nice made up arrangement...
Regarding these comments, some of the settings are more appropriate for service or buffet-style, not intended for family-style... tweak accordingly.
all a bit over the top narcissist for me. Get back to your roots! Thanksgiving is not about style and showing off, it is about giving thanks.
AMEN sarawelder!
My immediate family is so large (about 30 people) that when we are all together it's impossible to sit at one table... my parents' house isn't large enough to accommodate anything that large so we all sit wherever. Some in the dining room, some in the kitchen and the rest around the living room.
@sarawelder - while I enjoy a pretty presentation, I agree that some of these are over the top and not in keeping with the spirit of the holiday. I especially dislike using seasonal foods as decor (turnip candleholder and the like) that render something once edible useless for actual consumption. I more than dislike that, actually. It sickens me. It is a slap in the face to those who don't have enough to eat, for sure.
Great post ~ many fun ideas. Especially love the readers' Thanksgivings!
I think excess is excess, but I don't necessarily see turnip candle holders as a slap in the face to those who don't have enough to eat. In general, turning turnips into candle holders doesn't actually take food away from the hungry's plates and, depending on how you source the turnips, may actually be providing money to (and thus helping to feed) deserving farmers (or less deserving large farming conglomerates).
On the other hand, these people could have easily donated the turnip to a food shelter -- but that applies equally to any table decoration they might engage in, i.e., rather than spend money on a wreath or a table runner, they could have purchased food and donated that as well.
A great post, Maxwell, thank you -- I've been sitting here with a heap of pumpkins and several containers of flowers and greens trying to figure out WTF to do with them. You've given me the inspiration I need. Not all your commenters would appreciate my plans, but the guy who sold me the pumpkins that may or may not be eaten is making a living from it, and we're all helping one another out here.
does anyone know where the glasses are from in the real simple (second) photo are from? would love to get some.