Thanksgiving: Decorating with Cranberries

Thanksgiving loveliness

It’s time to finalize your decorating plans for Thanksgiving. While you’re at the grocery store fighting over the last can of fried onions for the green bean casserole (you know you are), be sure to pick up a couple of cheap fall-colored bouquets, a couple of bags of fresh cranberries, a few oranges, and a bottle of whole cloves. We’re going to turn them into complete Fancy and Schmanciness for the turkey day table!

I have an addiction to canning and a son named Mason, so you can be sure there are always a ridiculous number of Mason jars around my kitchen. Last year I decided to put them (the jars, not the addiction, but definitely the son) to use as table decor. Use as many as you need for your table(s).

1. Split the bouquets into several equal bunches of flowers, distributing them among the Mason jars.  Last year I put canning rings on the jars, but this year I think I’ll leave them off as they competed a bit with the flowers.
2. Loosely arrange the flowers in each jar.
3. Fill in around the stems with fresh cranberries, right to the top. Remember the cranberries will float, so it looks best if the jar is filled.
4. Fill with water, and stand back and “ooh” and “ahh” like you’re watching fireworks.

 

Use different-sized jars for your various tables and to vary the look

Having a helper may speed up the process. Or bring it grinding to a halt.

Another lovely way to use cranberries and oranges is to make pomanders to scatter on tables here and there; they also add a lovely scent to the air.  Just poke the whole cloves into the oranges (or clementines, lemons, limes, or other citrus), and be careful – those suckers are sharp.  Set in a dish of cranberries and get dizzy off of the crazily seasonal smell.

Smells so lovely

So lovely, you may just want to put one here…

Freshenin' up the place.

Now that’s schmancy!

Enjoy your Thanksgiving traditions and guests; I hope your Thanksgiving is as filled with friends and family and good cheer as mine is shaping up to be!

Advertisement