Pinecone Candlesticks | Rose Gold Flatware |Gourd Plates |  Wine Glasses | Pumpkin Staub |Emile Henry Ruffled Pie Dish | Emile Henry Baking Dish | Taper Candles

With November basically here I’m officially in full Thanksgiving Dinner prep mode. While I love everything that comes with hosting during the holidays, my favorite part has got to be setting the table for the big dinner itself. And over the years through setting my fair share of tables I’ve learned that no matter what you’re celebrating there’s always a few items that make getting the table holiday ready easier than ever which I thought I’d share with y’all today.

First up, flatware. There’s no better way to dress up a table than with metallic flatware. Gold or rose gold flatware make every dinner party feel a bit more like an occasion, and will be perfect for any and every holiday you celebrate.

A few years ago finding flatware that was any color other than silver was incredibly difficult and often expensive.  Thankfully, that’s no longer the case. For example, the rose gold flatware shown here is only $15 per setting! And this gold set I found is only $65 for an entire 24 piece setting complete with a case! They’re even making disposable sets in gold that look almost like the real thing.

Another signature holiday table move of mine is switching out the salad plates.  Trust me when I say, there’s no one that would rather have enough room to store, or money to spend, on numerous holiday place settings.  If storage or money were of no issue I’d have a new place setting each season! So how do I keep things fresh, while not breaking the bank or bursting at the closet-door-seams…I switch out my salad/dessert plates.  

I often start my place setting with my classic white dinner plates and then dress the white up with a festive salad or dessert plate like these gourd plates.  This way your table doesn’t feel like an everyday setting, and you’re not worried about how much you spent, or where you’re going to store them next month.  And trust me this works for every season; I love these ones for Christmas!

A word to the wise, make sure you get round white everyday plates.  I made the mistake of registering for oblong ones when we got married which are awkward and don’t work with any other plate in my cupboard.

Lastly, don’t overcrowd the table.  Thanksgiving, or any dinner party for that matter, should be focused on spending time with the ones you love. Nothing is worse than having a guest more worried about where they’re going to set a dish or if they’re going to spill that bottle of wine, than conversing with their neighbor. How I handle this dilemma is by utilizing my bar cart.

During dinner parties or holiday celebrations, my bar cart is wheeled over to the table where it plays the integral role of both beverage dispenser and pie cart. By keeping both the alcoholic and non-alcoholic bottles off the table it allows for conversation to flow and the guests who talk with their hands like myself, to joyfully recount stories without worrying of knocking anything over.  And I’d much rather have my collection of Staub Pumpkin baking dishes gracing the table rather than empty bottles of wine.  Plus doesn’t the cart make the most perfect setting for all the holiday pies?

And much like the flatware I spoke about earlier, bar carts are extremely reasonably priced now.  I like this one and this one if you’re looking for your cart to serve in more of this capacity than full-time bar.

So whether it’s your first time hosting, or you’re an old pro, I hope sharing my go-to entertaining tips helped. And most importantly I hope your Thanksgiving is full of what’s truly important: family, friends, great food, and plenty of thankfulness.  Truly, MKR