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Thanksgiving Day Table and Ideas

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Thanksgiving Day Ideas (Sunny Side Up)

Want to know what I’m grateful for?  That it’s Friday. :)  We made it to the end of the week!  I hope it was a good one for you!  I have to say that I’m a tad on the tired side.  I think all of the Christmas decorating in-between all of the every day life stuff wore me right out this week.  Very excited about an upcoming slow Saturday morning to recover!  I’m also excited to get our gratitude jar back in action again.  I pulled it out today and we’re going to write down things we are grateful for during the rest of the month and read them at Thanksgiving.  This has become such a fun tradition!  I found two other cute inexpensive gratitude jar options here and here if you want to start this with your family.  I always tell my kids to not write down the standard big things (health, family, etc.).  Obviously important to be grateful for those things, but I want them to really think about something unique and specific that stood out to them during the day.  I’m hoping this forces them to LOOK for little things to be grateful for each day.  Those small moments of gratitude are there if they just look. :)

Thanksgiving Day Ideas (Sunny Side Up)

Anyone else get to Thanksgiving and have a plethora of pumpkins hanging around?  In past years I’ve taken the pumpkins off of my Fall mantel, porch, etc. and made a fun tablescape with them.  I’ve done this for Thanksgiving dinner when we’ve stayed home and on the years we were traveling for Thanksgiving I just had a fun Fall lunch with girl friends!

Thanksgiving Day Ideas (Sunny Side Up)

I order and pick up salads and soup and nobody seems to notice that I didn’t spend hours baking because the table looks so cute and cozy.  My trade secret. ;)

Thanksgiving Day Ideas (Sunny Side Up)

I thought I’d share this fun tablescape again if any of you are planning on hosting Thanksgiving or a random Fall lunch/dinner.  All sources are at the bottom of the post and most items including my favorite Fall placemats are on sale!

Another trade secret of mine?  I’ve gotten really good at making store bought desserts look homemade.  I’m seriously known thoughout the land in our area as having the best “homemade” chocolate chip cookies ever.  My girls’ friends think I’m amazing!  Hello.. they are Toll House!  I just pop store bought dough in my oven and bam.  I’m a legend.  I told one of Ellie’s friends once when she was raving about my cookies that they were just Toll House and she said “well we’ve made those before at our house and they don’t taste as good as yours do..”  Ha.  That’s because I serve them on a cute plate.

It’s all about the presentation my friends. ;)

Thanksgiving Day Ideas (Sunny Side Up)

Here’s another quick and easy store bought dessert that I’ve shared before.

Thanksgiving Day Ideas (Sunny Side Up)

Pour hot fudge over a cheesecake…

Thanksgiving Day Ideas (Sunny Side Up)

Then chop up nuts and Reeces to place on top!

Thanksgiving Day Ideas (Sunny Side Up)

Wa-la!  Looks fancy right?  Takes 5 minutes.  You could get technical and make your own cheesecake.. but why?

Thanksgiving Day Ideas (Sunny Side Up)

Love always, chef Erin.

Thanksgiving Day Ideas (Sunny Side Up)

I rounded up some fun things below to help make your Thanksgiving feel extra special this year!  Most of these items are on sale right now and I’ve ordered some for our Thanksgiving meal.  Bring on the family, food, cozy pjs and Hallmark Christmas specials!  Can’t wait. :)

Thanksgiving Day Ideas (Sunny Side Up)

1 – Cutest Turkey Salt and Pepper Shakers!

2 – I love this antique silver serving platter for the turkey or other special dishes.. on sale for such a steal right now!

3 – These Fall napkins are beautiful and come highly recommended!  I also love this cute set.

4 – My pumpkin plates are on sale!  I shared them in this post if you want a closer look.

5 – I love this set of gold flatware (gold is so beautiful for a Thanksgiving table!).  This set also looks like a great option.

6 – This “Turkey on the Table” book and activity set is darling!  Another fun way to start a Thanksgiving tradition sharing gratitude.  Would be especially fun on a table with young kids. :)

7 – I just ordered a set of these fun Fall Thanksgiving placemats!  So cute because they have different activities for the kids plus they can write what they are grateful for and color them.  I’m always in charge of setting the table and entertaining kids while the rest of the adults in our family help my mom cook Thanksgiving dinner.  No idea why.. ;)  but these will be perfect to entertain cousins while we are waiting to eat.

8 – Love this turkey serving bowl for soup or gravy!

9 – Another fun thankful jar option.  I love this one with paper leafs to write on too!

10 – These rose gold mercury glass pumpkins are on major markdown and so are these cute faux pumpkins I always display in my kitchen!

**If you’re looking ahead to Christmas all of my favorite items I’m decorating with at the moment are here on my Favorites Page!  Happy holiday planning everyone!

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xoxo, Erin
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18 thoughts on “Thanksgiving Day Table and Ideas

  1. You are awesome and so real, I love it! You sure know your way around a foodie hack. :) That and a great way to recycle some pumpkins. Lovely table! Yummy tips, too! Thanks so much for sharing, Erin. And speaking of tired, didn’t this week feel like it was a month long? I have been exhausted and this wasn’t a particularly “busy” week. Crazy. Must be that time change after Halloween. Have a lovely, restful weekend! :)

    1. Thank you Jeanne! That I do.. ha! Food hacks are my specialty. ;) And YES! I love this time change but for some reason I’m exhausted this week! I don’t know why either so maybe that has something to do with it. Enjoy your weekend too! I hope it’s a good one. :) xo

    2. Hi Jeanne,
      Just wanted to let you know I enjoy reading your comments on Erin posts as much as I love reading her blog.

      1. I thought so! Good to know. Your home, style and family are always my favorite blog and instagram posts! You’ve have helped me decorate my house and choose paint colors without even knowing it. Thank you!

  2. Love all of your posts and ideas! I know you add links to 2 gratitude jars but I really love your glass jar with the gold lettering and cards the most! Did you make it or buy it last year?

    1. Hi Rachel! Thank you! I know.. it’s such a pretty glass jar! I ordered it from Amazon but it sold out and I haven’t found it anywhere else. If it ever comes back in stock I’ll for sure share the link on my blog!

  3. Chef Erin,
    You’re so funny, you crack me up! You’re so authentic, and like I said in one comment previously, the time and energy you give in responding to and respecting your readers sets you apart. Stay awesome!
    Sincerely,
    Melanie Carter

  4. Have you ever tried the jarred fudge sauce from Trader Joe’s? It beats Hershey syrup all around! It would be fabulous on the cheesecake!

  5. The line, “you can get technical & make your own cheesecake, but why?” cracked me up! Hey, you know the ole saying, work smarter, not harder! Sometimes there just aren’t enough hours in the day; take the short-cuts where you can, especially at the holidays!!

    1. Ha ha.. I couldn’t agree more Allison! The short-cuts for me almost always involve meals and cooking. Sometimes it’s just about survival mode isn’t it!? :) Thank you! Here’s to happy short-cuts! ;) xo

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