25 Easy And Cozy Thanksgiving Ideas

Bring the beauty and coziness of Thanksgiving with these 25 easy Thanksgiving ideas.

Ready for some easy and fabulous Thanksgiving ideas? I love Thanksgiving! It just might be my favorite holiday! But I think it gets elbowed out by Christmas! Ready to give this gorgeous All-American holiday its due? Here are 25 ideas to celebrate Thanksgiving!

This Thanksgiving, after two years without lots of people in our lives, we are back with family and friends, so let’s make it extra special!

Today’s post is part practical, part pep-talk, and part pretty decorating ideas!

Please spend a little time thinking about ways you can make this Thanksgiving special for you and those you will be with. Even if you are not hosting Thanksgiving can still be alive in your home and heart!

Here are 25 ideas to help you make memories this Thanksgiving!

THANKSGIVING IDEA FOR DECORATING YOUR HOME

I feel like Thanksgiving is the last hurrah for fall decor and celebrating the autumnal season! So I make the most of it!

PUT AWAY MOST OF YOUR FALL DECOR

November is a great time to take down most of your fall decor and replace it with things that will transition easily into Christmas. This is a brilliant Thanksgiving decorating idea!

Being able to take down decor, like things that are overtly fall/Halloween makes it easy to decorate with an eye towards Christmas and still enjoy the nuances of the beauty of the end of the fall season.

THE BEST THINGS TO DO IN NOVEMBER has lots of ideas and a little more about transitioning from Fall to Christmas.

And speaking about transitioning…

THINK ABOUT LATE FALL DECOR THAT WILL TRANSITION TO CHRISTMAS

Use a handful of pumpkins and other Thanksgiving organic items like pheasant feathers, deer sheds, and pinecones!

ADD JUST A TINY BIT OF SNOW TO YOUR DECOR!

Even snow looks beautiful for late fall decorating. But just a bit!

I love the Thanksgiving song “Over The River And Through The Woods” so a little bit of faux snow will evoke those delightful sweet feelings of the lyrics!

ADD ANOTHER LAYER OF COZY

Bring out your warmer throws and faux fur pillows. They look so pretty and cozy this time of year!

ADD MORE CANDLELIGHT TO YOUR HOME

One of the prettiest thanksgiving ideas that will set a romantic mood and give a warm glow to your home is to add more candles, globes, and lanterns to your decor!

The days are getting shorter so take advantage of longer nights by lighting up your home with a golden glow.

I love to use battery-operated candles on timers so I don’t have to remember to blow them out!

THANKSGIVING IDEAS FOR SETTING A MEMORABLE TABLE

I love to set a pretty table and I’m really excited to do the same on Turkey day this year!

Think about setting your table a couple days ahead of Thanksgiving day. You will be able to enjoy the process and creativity so much more than waiting until the last minute.

Here are ideas for your Thanksgiving table…

SET A FALL-INSPIRED TABLE

I say set a beautiful table! The good dishes, cloth napkins, pretty placemats, and polish up the silver! YOU are worth it.

What might be fun if your loved ones won’t be with you is to set your tables and then have a Facetime or Zoom show and tell! Make it upbeat and happy!

See 10 EASY IDEAS FOR SETTING A BEAUTIFUL THANKSGIVING TABLE HERE.

MAKE OR BUY A BEAUTIFUL ARRANGEMENT

I think making your own centerpiece is a wonderful Thanksgiving idea! Flowers always make things more special!

Or think about creating an edible arrangement and then use up your arrangements when Thanksgiving is over!

For a little inspiration go visit EDIBLE THANKSGIVING DOUGH BOWL. When all the vegetables and fruit are done being part of a centerpiece you can eat them! So smart and economical. And just so stunning!

MAKE SOMETHING SPECIAL FOR YOUR TABLE

Think about making something versatile, pretty, and useful for your Thanksgiving table. Here are a few of my favorites…

MAKE AN EASY NO-SEW BURLAP TABLE RUNNER

This easy to make table runner is a favorite. You see it on so many of my table images all year round.

It is perfect to use for Thanksgiving! If you can tie a knot you can make this pretty textural table runner!

See FRINGED BURLAP TABLE RUNNER

MAKE A PLACEMAT FROM AN OLD DECORATIVE THROW

How pretty and cozy is this placemat. You can whip them up in just a couple minutes!!! Use them on your Thanksgiving table as placemats or make a longer one for a runner! Creative and easy!

See HOW TO MAKE A PLACEMAT FROM A DECORATIVE THROW

I’m making a table runner for my daughter-in-law’s Thanksgiving table!

HAVE A MEMORABLE MEAL

Let’s keep our favorite mealtime traditions! Even if just a few of you are gathered together it’s important to make this a Thanksgiving to remember!

MAKE THAT BIRD!

We love turkey and but I don’t cook it very often. So even though we might have fewer people at our table we should roast a turkey! Or a chicken.

This year my daugther-in-law, Abigail, asked to host Thanksgiving at her house. How lovely! But that does not mean I’m not roasting a turkey! I’ll roast a smaller turkey a few days before Thanksgiving so we can take some extra to her home and have leftovers here.

Just the aroma of it wafting through our homes makes the effort so worth it. And the leftovers are worth the work too!

TRY SOMETHING NEW

Buy or make a new item to add to your Thanksgiving meal repertoire! I’ve always wanted to make Lancaster County Baked Corn so this year I’m giving it a go! YUM!

You can see an authentic Amish recipe for it HERE.

BEST THANKSGIVING IDEA- HAVE VIRTUAL DESSERT WITH THOSE YOU LOVE

How fun would it be to have dessert with those you love via Facetime, Zoom, or other video chat channels?

This year our family decided instead of eating dessert after our big Thanksgiving meal we are all eating a Thanksgiving Pie Family
Breakfast! Our little ones will love it!

We are pulling out the pie and the whipped cream and the ice cream and eating it for breakfast altogether! Since some of us will be on the west coast and some on the east coast breakfast makes sense. And it is so much fun!

During breakfast, everyone will get a chance to say what we are thankful for!

PLAY GAMES OUTDOORS

If it is a nice day, spend some time outdoors doing something fun! Play a game of corn hole or throw the football around. And take a nature walk with your family. We love all these activities!

Getting outside is good for you and good for your soul! It is a mood lifter too!

If you have little ones why not have a nature outdoor scavenger hunt and remember to give prizes!

GO FOR A WALK AFTER DINNER

I love taking a little walk after our Thanksgiving meal. Bundle up and enjoy the fresh evening air! Keep the conversation on happy, positive things!

If you have lanterns with battery-operated candles take them with you! They evoke a feeling of bygone days. Our little grandchildren love using little flashlights.

THINK ABOUT WAYS TO BE GRATEFUL

START A GRATITUDE JOURNAL

It can be formal or informal but keep track of all the things little and big you are thankful for in a journal.

One fun idea is to cut strips of paper and write what you are thankful for on them and make a chain with them! What a great visual way to see how much we have to be thankful for!

THINK OF OTHERS

SEND A THANKSGIVING CENTERPIECE TO SOMEONE

Send a table arrangement to someone who can’t be at your table this year! It’s such a nice gesture and it will bless someone else’s table!

Or if you are going to someone else’s home send a pretty centerpiece to them.

NOTHING SAYS LOVE LIKE A DELICIOUS FALL DESSERT

Make a scrumptious fall dessert. Your home will smell amazing! And you will love it too!

And bless a friend with something baked!

Here are a few desserts I make…

• PUMPKIN SPICE CAKE FROM ABOX MIX WITH A MAPLE GLAZE
• THE BEST RAW APPLE CAKE
• PUMPKIN COFFEE CAKE WITH STREUSEL TOPPING WITH A PUMPKIN GLAZE

PACK UP THANKSGIVING DINNER FOR SOMEONE

Why not take a Thanksgiving meal to someone who is alone this year. I have a friend who packs a Thanksgiving meal for the soldiers who stand guard at their local military base! How kind!

HAVE AN OUTDOOR THANKSGIVING

Invite friends, family, or neighbors over for an outdoor meal! Or dessert! Get into the mood of our first Thanksgiving!

If you don’t want to do the whole meal outside why not serve hot drinks, libation, and appetizers outside or dessert!

DONATE TO YOUR LOCAL FOOD BANK

Remember, there are lots of folks that are having a hard time this year! Be generous!!!!

AFTER THANKSGIVING DO SOMETHING FOR CHRISTMAS

The weekend after Thanksgiving is the perfect time to start getting into the Christmas Spirit!

We usually do something like go to a Christmas show or tour a special historical place decked out for Christmas as a way to kick off the Christmas holiday the weekend after Thanksgiving.

Here are some at-home ideas to kick off the Christmas season…

• play Christmas music
• as a family watch a Christmas movie together and Facetime together. We will be watching Elf!
• decorate your mantel
• start wrapping gifts
• work on your Christmas cards. If you don’t send Christmas cards, now is the time to send them. We all need to feel some extra love!
• make cookie dough and freeze it to bake closer to Christmas- see MY FAVORITE CHRISTMAS COOKIES

I hope these ideas will help you celebrate a joyful, thankful, and meaningful Thanksgiving!

We really have so much to be thankful for!