I love Thanksgiving, it’s better than Christmas. There’s an anticipation that just feels magical to me. Everything will soon be decorated with pretty lights, there will be parties to go to and gifts to buy. There’s a good chance that most of the people you see shopping this time of year are buying presents for other people. Isn’t that wonderful?
My husband and I will have about 20 people at our home for the holiday this year. I’m currently planning the menu and how to fit everyone! It’s always a challenge to have a sit down dinner (in my tiny house!) for that many people. But some how we make it work each year. The best part about hosting is planning how I will decorate the table, making it festive and cozy for everyone. I usually like to use rich colors and textures, like burlap tablecloths, deep purple flowers, gold placemats and wood accents.
I love to use fruit for my place settings. I usually use ivory ribbon to tie each person’s name to a pear or other seasonal fruit.
Fresh flowers and plants in deep purples and reds help to bring a little drama to my table. As you can see, the room was pretty bright when I took these shots but by the time we sat down to dinner it was dark outside. I used multiple levels of lighting to get the mood I wanted–candles on the table and dimmed lights around the perimeter to keep the scene moody and intimate. I think I’ll go for the same vibe this year.
The table cloth I use is actually a fabric drop cloth from Home Depot. The table runner is burlap fabric I found at JoAnn Fabric, cut down to size. The placemats are from Home Goods. I bought the flowers and fruit from a local market and used vases and mason jars I had around the house.
My favorite part of Thanksgiving is my mother sleeping over the night before to help me prepare. We prep everything we can then relax with a good movie. There’s just something so cozy about that. In the morning we have a yummy breakfast while we watch the Macy’s Day Parade. This year, I’m going to add apple cider mimosas to the menu! I tested them out this weekend and they were delicious. Here’s how you can make them:
Cocktail ingredients:
- Apple cider (don’t even think of getting a sweetened version, this stuff is super sweet as-is!)
- Prosecco
Sugar rim ingredients:
- Orange
- Sugar
- Cinnamon
There really is no right way to make this. I like to mix the sugar and cinnamon 50/50 for the rim. I edge each glass with an orange and dip it into the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Then I pour a half glass of Prosecco and top it off with cider. You can do more or less of each as you see fit. That’s what’s so wonderful about mimosas, if you like champagne you can fill the glass and just add a splash of cider or vice versa. If you want to make this non-alcoholic you can substitute Prosecco with flavored soda water. You may be tempted to skip the sugar rim but don’t! The smell and taste of the cinnamon as you drink the mimosa really gives the cocktail an extra kick.
However you choose to blend these ingredients, I hope you enjoy!
In the next few days I’ll post about the fall-inspired sangria I’ll serve as guests arrive! What’s your favorite cocktail to serve on Thanksgiving?
