It has become a family tradition the past couple of years for my husband and I to host Thanksgiving for the immediate family. It’s a delightfully small party to entertain and makes for a wonderful excuse to prepare a formal dinner and table setting. This year I decided to take a refined approach to decorating and add some sentimental touches to the dinner table.

After years of being stored in a curio cabinet, it was time for my great-grandmother’s china to make its debute entrance at the dinner table. Truthfully I am not one to favor pink and blue flowers but I was pleasantly surprised by how the delicate design contrasted with the bold place mats, thus adding some nostalgia to the celebration. I even took it one step further and pulled out my husband’s family’s silverware that had not seen the light of day in ages. The placemats I chose are a dark green diamond pattern (from H&M’s Home) and the napkins are printed with a gold leaf filagree (from Zara Home.) They pair together nicely for the holiday without being overtly formal.  For the final touch I placed fresh flowers with extra green foliage in a classic white vase. Simply elegant!

Preparing for the holidays isn’t just limited to the indoors. Ergo the day after thanksgiving we decided to do take the party outdoors for some yard cleanup and work off the previous days’ indulgences. I’ve never seen so many leaves; so much so that it created a blanket like effect covering the yard. Clean up was fun and Matisse (my fur baby) found the amount of leaves rather enjoyable, turning it into his play ground.

With the Thanksgiving Holiday ending and the number of nice weekends left before Christmas being questionable, it was time to put up the outdoor Christmas decorations (the inspiration will be shared in a future post.)  Nonetheless I’m making a final tribute to this years’ Thanksgiving.

The modest approach to the decor continued to the outdoors. I purchased pumpkins from a local farm and displayed them by the front door. The wreath, which is adorned with synthetic pheasant feathers, leaves and grasses (purchased from Joss&Main) offsets the colors of the pumpkins and dresses up the dull front door. I placed pillows with muted tones on the wicker chairs to add a soft touch and the mismatching influence an informal setting.  They also cohere with the door mat (purchased from Target) and the chair cushions.

Even Matisse is enjoying the decor.

Ciao!