A finished Thanksgiving table needs four pieces: a centerpiece, a table runner or linens, lighting, and place settings with favors. You can buy ready-made versions of each piece instead of building them from scratch.
Your search for thanksgiving table decorations ideas may have turned up mostly do-it-yourself tutorials with cutting, gluing and painting steps. The Thanksgiving Day Decor category page carries ready-made versions of each piece: centerpiece, runner, lighting and place settings. That means you can spend your prep time on the meal instead of on craft projects.
Centerpieces That Anchor a Fall Tablescape
A centerpiece sets the tone for a fall tablescape, the overall look of everything on the table from the plates to the lighting. Pick one piece in warm, autumn colors first, like orange, brown or deep red, the shades most linked to the season. Build the runner, napkins and lighting around it so the whole table matches.
Expert Tip: Pick your centerpiece first, then choose a runner and napkins that match its colors.
The Thanksgiving Pumpkin Cloth Flower Wreath gives you a ready-made centerpiece base: a pumpkin shape built from cloth flowers in a courtyard-decoration style. Set it in the middle of the table and it's ready to use.
A single centerpiece can carry the whole table on its own if the rest of the setting stays simple. It also works well with more pieces from the Thanksgiving Day Decor category if you want a fuller tablescape. Either way, keep the centerpiece low enough that guests can still see and talk across the table. A low, wide shape also leaves room for serving dishes once the turkey and sides arrive.
Table Runners and Linens for a Farmhouse or Boho Look
A table runner or tablecloth gives the table a base to build on. The material and pattern set the look before a single plate goes down.
Farmhouse style leans on natural, woven textures like burlap and wood tones. Boho style adds fringe and tassels for a looser, relaxed feel. Pick farmhouse for a simple, natural look or boho for more texture and movement on the table.
A boho table runner with tassels runs 72 inches long and is made from macrame in a farmhouse, rustic style for bohemian tables. A tassel-free version of the same runner uses burlap and macrame at the same 72-inch length for a plainer farmhouse-rustic look.
A boho table runner styled for Thanksgiving, fall and Christmas keeps the same 72-inch, farmhouse-rustic macrame style with tassels. Because the design already carries into later holiday decorating, it works as one runner for the whole season instead of a single-day piece.
If you are deciding between the three, this table compares their style details side by side.
Table Runner | Material and Length | Tassels |
|---|---|---|
Macrame, farmhouse-rustic, 72 inches | Yes | |
Burlap and macrame, farmhouse-rustic, 72 inches | No | |
Macrame, farmhouse-rustic, 72 inches | Yes |
A runner that already fits more than one holiday saves you from buying a new one each time the season changes. For more linens and table-dressing pieces beyond these three runners, browse the Holiday Decorations page.
Lighting That Extends the Mood After Dark
A Thanksgiving table needs light once the sun goes down, and you do not have to rely only on open flame. The LED Thanksgiving Day rose decoration lamp plugs into a USB port. It stands about 17.72 inches tall, so it can light a side table or buffet without wax or a lighter.
Candles still bring a warm glow many hosts want on the table, and they pair well with a centerpiece once the lights are low. But they call for some care around linens and napkins. About 60% of home candle fires start when something that can burn, like napkins or leaves, sits too close to the flame.
Keep any candles on your table at least 12 inches from napkins, centerpieces and anything else that can burn. From 2015 to 2019, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated annual average of 7,400 home structure fires started by candles. That history is worth a thought before you light candles near your centerpiece or runner.
If you want the glow without the open flame, set the LED lamp next to your centerpiece. Keep any real candles further down the table, away from napkins and runners. Light your LED lamp or candles shortly before guests arrive, so the table already feels warm when they sit down.
Turn off the LED lamp when you leave the house or go to bed, since lights left on can short out and start a fire, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Place Settings and Favors That Finish the Table
A finished Thanksgiving table needs more than a centerpiece and a runner. Napkins, place cards and a small favor next to each plate give every seat its own finished look, separate from whatever covers the table underneath.
This bulk black tissue paper works for gifts, bags, crafts and Thanksgiving decorations. Each sheet measures 20 by 14 inches, and one pack holds 100 sheets. With that many sheets in a pack, there is room to use some for napkin accents and some for wrapped favors at the same table.
Set one folded sheet under each napkin for a quick color accent. Or wrap a small favor in a few sheets and set it on each plate. Either way, the tissue paper finishes the place setting fast. A simple pocket fold or flat lay both work well with the tissue paper tucked inside, and neither needs special tools.
A small favor at each seat also gives guests something to take home, which rounds off the table long after the meal is cleared.
Mixing Thanksgiving Pieces With Other Holiday Decor Instead of Buying a Full New Set
A finished Thanksgiving table does not have to go back in storage once the plates are cleared. Neutral pieces in wood, black and gold carry straight into a New Year's Eve table instead of sitting unused until next fall.
New Year tabletop decor pieces fit that same neutral palette, so they layer in with leftover Thanksgiving pieces instead of replacing them. The 4-piece wooden wine glass decoration set works as a winter tiered-tray centerpiece accent for a New Year's Eve table. You can find it on the 4-piece wooden wine glass New Year centerpiece decoration page.
The 4-piece Happy New Year wooden tiered tray decor set adds a black and gold table centerpiece for a New Year's Eve party. You can find it on the Happy New Year wooden tiered tray table decor page. Pair either set with a runner or linen already on the table to build a new look without buying a full new set.
Thinking about reuse before you buy also keeps the table easier to redecorate for the next holiday, since the base pieces already match.
How Do You Combine Christmas and Thanksgiving Decor?
Keep a neutral fall table runner, like the boho table runner styled for Thanksgiving, fall and Christmas, on your table through early winter. Layer Christmas-specific accents, like ornaments or string lights, on top instead of swapping the whole setup for a new one each season.
Ready to Shop Your Thanksgiving Table Decor
Once you know which centerpiece, runner, lighting and place settings fit your table, you can order every piece in one stop. That saves you a trip to several different stores. Occasion Flair sells party supplies and holiday decorations online, covering each table element above in one catalog.
Standard shipping options show at checkout based on your address. Orders typically process within 1 to 2 business days, and delivery times vary by location. Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday of November every year, a date fixed into federal law in 1941. Because the date never changes, you can plan your order well ahead of time.
Shop Now for the centerpiece, runner, lighting and place-setting pieces that will finish your Thanksgiving table.
