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Gathering

Family Heritage and New Traditions

Article by Jeannie Tabor

Photography by Sarah Bell, Sélavie Photography, and Uday Sripathi

Originally published in River City Lifestyle

We all have memories of setting the table at Thanksgiving. Gathering together to share a meal and create an atmosphere of gratitude is an important part of our country’s celebration. What a lovely time to draw on our family heritage as well as incorporate new traditions for a fresh approach to this special meal. As we begin to plan this year’s feast, let’s see what some local professionals have to say about creating a memorable Thanksgiving meal.

“Thanksgiving is all about getting family together and creating memories,” according to May Weiss and Allyson James, co-owners of local design firm Hardy & Winston Interior Design. It should feel relaxed, no matter how formal your tablescape, and include items that have meaning. “Forget the idea that everything has to match! Choose one thing you love and build your table from there. Decide your setting and how formal you want your table to be and then the color, textures and materials will flow from your inspiration.”

For their own holiday dining tables, they like to focus on individual collected pieces, like Allyson’s salt and pepper shakers purchased from a silversmith in Italy by her great-grandmother and May’s custom-made Tiffany flatware handed down from her grandmother. Allyson also incorporates a silver service that her grandmother started collecting for her the day she was born and loves using plaid tablecloths as a remembrance of her first Thanksgivings in Scotland as a child.

Suzanne Varner, co-owner of Varner Macaskill Interiors, says, “Use what you have! It’s fun to combine different sets of china and different crystal glassware. Don’t take it too seriously and the result will be far more interesting. We are still using the same china my grandmother used on her Thanksgiving table and serving some of the same dishes that she did. And we make sure to dress up for lunch just like we used to!”

Cameron Howell, of Cameron Howell Interior Design, prefers her Thanksgiving table to feel elegant, but not too formal. “I never want a table scape to feel stuffy. I always want my guests to relax and have fun.” She scatters small votive candles around the table instead of using traditional candlesticks. “I find them to be more intimate, and you do not have the wax residue to deal with after a long day of entertaining.” 

Cameron also enjoys creatively incorporating her design focus into her tablescape. Instead of using a traditional white linen table runner, she created one out of leftover Schumacher fabric. The colors brightened up the table and set the tone for a fun and festive meal.

Carmen Bond, owner of Social, A Shop for Gracious Living, urges us all to “Be fair to Thanksgiving—give it its due,” as it is increasingly being crowded out by Halloween and Christmas décor. She usually loves to seek out new patterns and unique combinations, but when it comes to Thanksgiving she prefers to stick to a more traditional setting, including family heirlooms, turkey platters, and lots of organic items, such as cotton bolls, maple leaves and twigs. 

Carmen’s love of incorporating nature into a tablescape came from her mother on their Pontotoc, Mississippi farm. Carmen remembers stories of her mom picking berries from the side of the road, climbing a ladder in a truck bed to yield 6-foot tall Maple tree boughs, and removing moss with a spatula to preserve a wide swath for a table runner.

So, it is not surprising that Carmen is open to lots of different ways to decorate a table! She loves helping brides incorporate their wedding china into a holiday scape, adding richly colored napkins, dessert plates and candles to make the transition to a new look. 

Lee Sandberg, registry manager and tabletop buyer for Babcock Gifts, says there are no rules for decorating a Thanksgiving table. Anything goes! She will work with customers to add local pottery to their collection of fine china and even incorporate sophisticated paper products in their tablescape. Most people are starting with a collection of items that are handed down, and they want to build on that and make it their own. Lee loves the challenge of using a traditional Haviland Limoges white plate with gold rim and adding something colorful and whimsical, like a Royal Crown Derby dessert plate, to create a mix of old and new. Lee’s mother creates a children’s table with Dinstuhl’s chocolate turkeys at each place setting and paper turkeys to color with crayons!

When asked if there is any parting advice for the November holiday host, May and Allyson say “Don’t overcrowd the table. Make it easily accessible and relaxed so guests can enjoy themselves.” Cameron says, “Sometimes you have to be creative and flexible,” like the year they set a table in the backyard overlooking the neighbor’s horse farm. Lee adds that it is never too late to register for new china, glassware, and accessories. Carmen offers lots of ways to “zhuzh” up your holiday table without breaking the bank, including small wooden bowls that can hold petit fours or candy. And Suzanne says, “Other than the usual chaos of a large family gathering, the biggest challenge is to remember to take the turkey out of the oven.”

Flowers provided by Garden District and Le Fleur

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