getting ready for thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is in two days!!!  I’m not quite sure which I’m more excited about – eating my weight in turkey and fixings or setting my table.  This year I’m keeping it simple on both counts; the older I get the more I crave simplicity in every aspect of my life and that most certainly includes entertaining!  I had high hopes of sharing links to everything I’m using to host much earlier than now, but it rained every single day last week, making it impossible to get decent pictures!

Over the years I’ve accumulated a great mix of basic dinner and serveware that I use on a daily basis that can also easily be dressed up for holidays and special occasions.  Add some fresh greenery in a gorgeous ice bucket and some beautiful linen napkins and I’m set!

This year I really wanted to add deep, dark indigo and I found it in these navy napkins (they’re currently buy one, get one half off; thank you for the tip, Tessa!) I think they’ll be the perfect compliment to my rattan chargers, bamboo flatware and French wine glasses (which are on sale!).  These bamboo servers are a budget-friendly alternative to buying all new flatware and look amazing paired with a simple white salad bowl (HomeGoods always has some beautiful, inexpensive options!) and no matter what I end up doing for a centerpiece, I always add a few unscented white votives to really up the cozy factor.  I love this set from Amazon but I also found sets of two at the dollar store and grabbed about a hundred of them, so I’m pretty much set for the next decade!

Whenever I’m buying something for entertaining, I try to be mindful of my storage space and make sure what I’m considering purchasing is super versatile.  These woven glasses add a beachy vibe in the summer but add just the right amount of texture to a fall table, too, and I have a weakness for beautiful ice buckets because you can also use them as makeshift vases – the same goes for wine coolers!  I love this marble option and at $25, the price can’t be beat!

Greenery can be as easy as a few snips from a bush or tree in your yard or a simple maiden hair fern or topiary, if you’re lucky enough to find them near you.  One year I snipped some purple sweet potato vine from the pots on our front porch and put them in vintage glass mini bottles down the tables.  The contrast was gorgeous against my gray/green Cinderella pumpkins and it didn’t cost me a thing!

So, that’s pretty much it for us this year.  How are you guys setting the table for Turkey Day?