The classic cornucopia always looks beautiful as the table centerpiece during Thanksgiving dinner. If your table is cramped, you may want to put it on the mantel or a side table instead.
If you don't have a cornucopia, substitute a rustic basket overflowing with miniature pumpkins, squash, gourds, Indian corn, nuts, pomegranates, apples, or oranges. Tie a big raffia bow around the sides of the basket or the handle, and trail the ends through the autumn bounty.
Use miniature pumpkins or small gourds as rustic candleholders. Just cut a hole in the top large enough to fit the end of a candlestick.
Collect and press autumn leaves throughout the fall. Arrange pressed leaves down the center of the dining room table, tuck a few into grapevine wreaths, or tape some to the windows. Also dry some leaves without pressing them flat and gather them in big wooden bowls.
Pots of mums are usually on sale around this time of year. They last longer than cut flowers and the colors are perfect for Thanksgiving. Buy several small pots, set them in baskets, tin buckets, or wooden bowls, tie ribbons or raffia around them, and place them separately or in groups throughout the house. Later, you can plant them in your garden for year-round beauty.
