This Thanksgiving, I’m ditching the “aspirational” Instagram feeds with their super-creative (and mind-boggling) table decor ideas that require either a big investment of money or time to achieve. Instead, I’ve decided to simplify beautifully with these easy Thanksgiving table setting ideas, either to buy or DIY, that look great but aren’t expensive or difficult to replicate.
10 easy ideas for a beautiful Thanksgiving table
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Dried botanical centerpiece on your Thanksgiving table
Eucalyptus (or any dried greens easily snagged from the florist or purchased online), colorful apples, and a couple of other decorations are layered to create this simple Thanksgiving table idea from Annie at Mostly Lovely Things. Stop by her page for instructions for those handmade clay place setting tags—super cute and fits right in with this decor.
Short on time but love the look of a natural garland? This lovely Preserved Full Harvest Garland from Terrain is crafted from dried botanicals and rustic ribbon for just the right touch of nature while still leaving room for everything else you need to fit on the table. Like, you know, food.
Natural wreath place cards for your Thanksgiving table
How adorable and festive are the easy rosemary wreath place cards (at top of page) from Spoon Fork Bacon? Find the freshest and longest sprigs of rosemary that you can (dry sprigs may break rather than bend), download the free name card template, and scatter a few baby pumpkins around the table. Voila! Table setting perfection.
Short on time? Then these pre-made fresh, dried boxwood wreath napkin rings from Etsy’s Cassie Schmidt make a great alternative to DIY wreaths. Just handwrite names on slips of paper or use the template from Spoon Fork Bacon, and your seating arrangements are done!
Related: Thanksgiving dinner help: What to make from scratch and what to buy ready-made
Personalized leaf place cards for Thanksgiving table
No major crafting (or purchasing) required for these darling printable pumpkin leaves from Printable Crush. Just tie with some twine to small white pumpkins for the easiest place setting that comes with a sweet message that reminds your family and friends how much you appreciate them.
Or let the Etsy shop Love More by Elzaan do all the work to create these pretty and personalized kraft paper leaf name tags for your guests. Just select how many tags you’d like, from 6 and up, and provide the names for the tags. No scissor skills required.
Bright cranberry centerpieces for your Thanksgiving table
Image © Christina Refford for Cool Mom Eats
Fresh cranberries are everywhere at this time of year, so just buy a bag and pour them into a clear glass vase, bowl or even large mason jars for a pop of color on your Thanksgiving table. Love it styled as above with bright orange roses coming out the top, as we shared in our post about easy, eco-friendly table setting ideas for a less wasteful Thanksgiving.
Related: 5 of our favorite Thanksgiving must-have items at Trader Joe’s that you need to grab now
Or grab one of these pretty blown glass hurricane candle holders from Crate and Barrel and insert a candle and fresh cranberries–voila! Once lit, the candlelight will add a lot of ambiance to your table without a lot of fuss or effort.
Crafty kids decor for Thanksgiving table
The whimsical, casual touch of a hand-drawn placemat on butcher paper is easy and fun, even for the big kids’ table, as seen in this idea for a kids’ Thanksgiving table at Project Nursery. Put out lots of crayons and let the kids decorate their own place settings while they wait for dinner to be ready.
Related: 5 fun Thanksgiving crafts for kids that double as your Thanksgiving table decor
Or skip the DIY and buy them a huge Thanksgiving coloring page with this Draw Together Thanksgiving set from Caravan Shoppe which we featured in our list of Thanksgiving printables. The kids will flip for this (and maybe, just maybe, stay quiet for more than 5 minutes.)
