Steve Doocy shares his menu secrets for a 'simply happy' Thanksgiving
'Fox & Friends' co-host Steve Doocy brings out his recently published 'Simply Happy' cookbook to share some Thanksgiving recipes for the entire family to enjoy.
Thanksgiving Day is the first official holiday to kick off winter of fun festivities where family and friends will gather together for several months to celebrate life and togetherness surrounded by food and drinks.
Foodies especially look forward to Thanksgiving Day which is often all-consuming with deliciously warm and cozy spreads of mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, ham, pies and more.
Though the turkey will take centerstage on your dining room table, creating a stunning tablescape won't steal focus from the beautifully cooked bird.
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While hosting can be time-consuming and sometimes even stressful, planning and designing your own tablescape will add an element of fun ahead of your Thanksgiving Day meal.
Whether you keep it super simple or get wildly creative, add a centerpiece or create a tablescape that will impress even the most humdrum of guests.
A Thanksgiving centerpiece can perfectly compliment your yummy holiday spread. (iStock)
Here is a list of ideas to deck out your dining room table this Thanksgiving.
The best part? A lot of these centerpiece ideas are easy to make and can be put together with items you may find around the house.
- Present pretty floral arrangements as your centerpiece
- Paint leftover pumpkins from Halloween with Thanksgiving Day sentiments
- Include leaves and lights to create a twinkling fall table
- Fill mismatched glassware as an easy go-to centerpiece
- Keep it traditional with a Thanksgiving cornucopia
- Know that sometimes all you need is a table runner
- Spice up your planter box
- Get guests involved with a thankful tree
- Use wine bottles in a handy new way
- Make Pampas grass the star of the show
- Create handmade candy cornucopias for your guests
- Make your turkey or ham the main event
1. Present pretty floral arrangements as your centerpiece
Flowers are a super easy, classy way to dress up any dinner table.
Whether you're shopping for true sunflowers or leaning toward reusable faux flowers, choose a fall-colored assortment for your display.
Think orange, brown, yellow, red and maybe even a touch of purple.
Beautiful flowers can be a simple, elegant centerpiece for Thanksgiving. (Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images)
If you want to take your bouquet to the next level, throw in some pine cones or tie a burlap bow around the neck of the vase for a fall feel.
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A couple of long candles also add a nice touch to a bouquet.
Feel free to get creative with this, and don't be afraid to mix different types of flowers into your display.
2. Paint leftover pumpkins from Halloween with Thanksgiving Day sentiments
Pumpkins are a great piece of decor to use from September until the end of November. There are so many opportunities, including DIY projects, to use pumpkins as a staple for your centerpiece.
Use all different shapes, sizes and colors to mix and match for the middle of the table.
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If you're in an artistic mood, paint your pumpkins with unique colors. If you still have huge pumpkins from Halloween, don't let them go to waste.
Paint leftover pumpkins as a Thanksgiving centerpiece that will impress your guests. (Sebastian Reimold/Getty Images for Wertheim Village)
Paint the main menu items onto the surface of the pumpkin or include sweet Thanksgiving sayings like "thankful" and "grateful."
Another option for larger pumpkins is to take off the top, clean the inside and create a flower bouquet with the pumpkin as your vase.
3. Include leaves and lights to create a twinkling fall table
When we think about fall, we often think of leaves changing colors and swirling down from the trees. Beautiful autumn leaves make for a perfect centerpiece that can be put together in a matter of mere minutes.
All you'll need for a leaf-themed centerpiece is a handful of fake leaves. Arrange them in the center of your table. You can also glue them together to be sure they stick around for the duration of dinner and don't fly about the dinner table, possibly landing on someone's mashed potatoes. Place LED lights between the leaves for extra sparkle. Include pumpkins if your table decor is looking a little scarce.
4. Fill mismatched glassware as an easy go-to centerpiece
Feel free to get creative this Thanksgiving with your centerpiece ideas as you welcome family and friends to your dinner table. (iStock)
One of the most simple DIY projects for a centerpiece is to grab a few mismatched glasses from your kitchen cabinets. Drinking glasses, vases and mason jars will all work for this. Fill your glassware with anything that might set the tone for your holiday meal.
If you want to keep it simple and neutral, include dried reeds, grasses and wheat. You can stack acorns or pine cones for a moodier look as well.
For color, you can use dried fruits and flowers. You can also leverage water absorbing beads like OrBeez to fill your glasses with fun fall items and water to create the illusion that your decor is floating. This is sure to impress your guests with little time commitment from you.
5. Keep it traditional with a Thanksgiving cornucopia
Create a cornucopia inside for a lovely Thanksgiving centerpiece. (H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock/Getty Images)
The best part about a cornucopia as a centerpiece is that you can be as creative as you'd like and include plenty of personal touches.
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More traditional Thanksgiving cornucopias include acorns, mini pumpkins, gourds, cranberries, leaves and branches for dimension, but include all the items you'd like at your own table. Be sure to really stuff your cornucopia to make it look full.
6. Know that sometimes all you need is a table runner
If you're working with a dark wooden table, add a light table runner for contrast. If your dining room table is bright as it is, include something colorful or printed with Thanksgiving-themed icons or cartoons to spread the holiday spirit.
You can opt to create your own table runner too, by gluing fake leaves together over the length of your table.
If you have a lot of children who will be sitting around the table or have your own table dedicated to the little ones, your table runner could simply be paper. Grab a roll of white paper and stretch it across the length of the table, taping it to each end to keep it secure. Then, leave out crayons, so the kids can draw on the runner or write down what they are thankful for before dinner is served. This will keep the kids busy while dinner is being prepared and will be a nice creation to look at throughout the day.
7. Spice up your planter box
If you have any wooden boxes around, they are one of the most basic household items that are easy to enhance for your Thanksgiving Day table.
Stack pumpkins, pine cones or an assortment of colorful fruits like oranges, clementines and green or red apples for a bright basket. Write on the outside of it with chalk for a rustic look or add a big bow for an extra pop of color.
8. Get guests involved with a thankful tree
The thankful tree is a perfect way to get everyone attending your Thanksgiving dinner, from kids to adults involved. You'll need different colored construction paper cut into leaves.
Punch a hole at the bottom of each leaf and add a piece of ribbon or yarn through it to tie it off. When your guests arrive, they can each take a couple of leaves and write down what they are thankful for.
Each of the leaves can be hung onto a branch to create a thankful tree centerpiece. You can create the tree itself by using a glass vase and filling it about halfway with rocks. Then, use sticks you find outside and press them in between the rocks so that they stay secure. Make sure your sticks are long enough that they emerge out of the vase.
9. Use wine bottles in a handy new way
Wine is often paired with a delicious Thanksgiving meal, so elegant bottles make a simple and convenient centerpiece. (Credit: iStock)
Centerpieces don't have to be fancy and can easily be made out of things you already have.
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Placing bottles of wine in the middle of your table is easy for you and convenient for guests.
10. Make Pampas grass the star of the show
Pampas grass makes for a great fall decoration because of its neutral color. It has a fluffy look, so you don't need a lot to fill up a vase.
If you want a clean, neutral look for your Thanksgiving table, this will do the trick. It pairs beautifully with a white vase. Since this centerpiece is very neutral toned, it can stand by itself, or you can add other elements, like pumpkins or other flowers for a bigger, more colorful centerpiece.
11. Create handmade candy cornucopias for your guests
Let's face it, having some sweets before dinner is always a nice treat, so long as you don't spoil your appetite. Plus, you likely still have some Halloween candy left over that you want to get rid of.
This is where candy cornucopias come in. These can be made by simply rolling up festive fall paper and using tape to secure. Then, fill up your handmade cornucopias with candy that your guests can snack on before the main meal.
Make your turkey the star of the show as your Thanksgiving Day centerpiece. (iStock)
12. Make your turkey or ham the main event
You spent all day cooking a stunning turkey. Why not make it the main masterpiece of your table?
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If your table is too small or already loaded with plates, utensils and side dishes, use your turkey or ham as your centerpiece.
While these centerpieces will bring your Thanksgiving decorating to the next level on their own, you can also combine these ideas to make the perfect centerpiece for you and your loved ones this holiday season.
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