5 Creative Ideas for Celebrating Thanksgiving at Home

Just because Thanksgiving is a traditional holiday does not mean you have to stick to only the traditional way of celebrating with your family and friends.

The key is to start with some tradition, throw in a new trend or two and some creativity, and you’ll have a great recipe for celebrating Thanksgiving 2015 style.

Here at Luetgert Development, we’ve been building custom homes and remodeling for more than 20 years,  giving our customers wonderful spaces in which to celebrate the holidays with their family and friends. With the holiday season upon us, we enjoy sharing holiday home trends and tips with our clients and readers of this blog.

As you prepare for the holiday, consider these five creative ideas for celebrating Thanksgiving at home:

Easy Centerpiece

Trying to figure out the perfect centerpiece for your Thanksgiving table can be stressful for the host and hostess. But it doesn’t have to be. Here’s a simple idea. Line some things down the center of your table. How about a row of pumpkins mixed with some votive candles along with some fall leaves and berries mixed in. Voila! Your table is done! Bring on the food!

Say Yes to Place Cards

This may seem like a lot of trouble but it’s really not. Basically, we’re just talking about jotting people’s names down on paper or a card, right? Create a pocket for your utensils with cloth napkins. Then tie it up with string or ribbon and attach the place card. Place it on top of your plates and you’re ready to go. You can set your table this way the night before to save yourself time.

Personalized Table Runner

Or forget about place cards and trying to find a fancy table runner for your holiday table. Consider using a roll of craft paper instead, like this blogger Dawn Nicole. Cut a section so it hangs off both ends of your table about a foot. Set your table so you can see where your plates will set. Trace the top curve of your plate with a pencil, which gives you the space for writing in ink the name of each of your guests. Do some calligraphy or other fancy type. You can always leave pens out at dinner so guests can write things they are thankful for this year. Wow, a crafty yet interactive table runner? Your guests will love it!

Bacon Wrapped Turkey

Your guests will also love this idea. Add a tasty twist to your traditional baked turkey when you add bacon. Not only does this make for a pretty presentation, but the bacon gives your turkey a deep, rich flavor and helps to keep it moist, too. Check out these easy instructions from Today.com.

Your Very Own Cooking Playlist

Just because you’re doing the cooking doesn’t mean you can’t have fun. Use Spotify’s Time for Turkey playlist creator so you’ll have your very own soundtrack while you’re preparing the meal. It’s easy and fun to use.

First put in the weight of your turkey. Then pick out your favorite genre of music, or as Spotify puts it, “Season the mood with your favorite genre.”  Maybe Americana is your style or maybe it’s Family Time, where “Grandma and the nephew are in the kitchen and they’re both saying ‘turn it up.’”  Or perhaps it’s Club Kitchen – songs that will make you dance up an appetite.

Once you’ve chosen the music, Spotify tells you how long it will take to roast your turkey and offers a playlist for just as long. How cool is that? You can even keep playing it during dinner if you’d like.

Dancing with your friends and family all the while cooking your Thanksgiving bird! Sounds like you’re doing Thanksgiving 2015 style.

What other creative ideas do you have? Please share them below or reach out to us on any of our social media channels. We’d love to hear from you.