Vintage Thanksgiving Decorating Ideas

As the holidays approach, you might be looking for some simple ways to decorate for Thanksgiving. In our family, we always decorate BIG for Halloween and Christmas. And with only 3 weeks to take down all of the Halloween decorations and put up Thanksgiving decorations (before Christmas decorations go up), we want to make sure that we keep those decorations simple, since these decorations are short-lived. But of course we wouldn't want to overlook this important holiday!

However, since we only gather together to celebrate Thanksgiving for one day (rather than an entire season with multiple celebrations), any decorations that we plan for Thanksgiving need to be:

1. Easy to put up
2. Easy to take down 
3. Easy to store

Using this criteria, I mainly only decorate my dining room, since that's the room that sees most of the Thanksgiving day "action." 

Vintage Honeycomb Turkeys and Vintage Thanksgiving Die Cuts

These just might be the easiest Thanksgiving decorations ever! You can often find them at thrift stores starting around the end of September (usually around the same time you're scouring the aisles for vintage Halloween items). Or if you'd like to buy several at a time, you can purchase them in lots on eBay or Etsy. Look for brand names like Beistle, Eureka, and Hallmark.

And the best part about these decorations is that the honeycomb pieces fold flat for storage, but they make a big impact when grouped together for a display. I've displayed them here with some hodgepodge Pyrex bowls (that will be filled on Thanksgiving day with side dishes).

Here are some close-ups of these vintage Thanksgiving decorations. The adults in your group will surely appreciate the nostalgia of these decorations, and the kiddos will love the bright colors.

Vintage Linens

The other items I always use for Thanksgiving decorations are vintage linens. 

The majority of these heirloom aprons were handmade by The Harris Sisters' Grandma Elizabeth, and a few of them were handmade by our Mama. They, too, provide a splash of color that mimic the turkeys. They are the perfect thing to display for a holiday that involves a lot of cooking. I usually keep these on display right through Christmas.

And the other vintage linen item that I add to my Thanksgiving display is a vintage tea towel that was a gift from Harris Sister Misty. While it probably didn't start out life as a Thanksgiving decoration, it certainly fits the bill with its prayer and harvest of fruits and vegetables.

The aprons adorn the upper left corner of our dining room Hoosier cabinet, and the tea towel is displayed on the countertop.

Because all of these pieces are vintage, you can find them at yard sales, thrift stores, antique stores, flea markets, estate sales, or maybe even your own attic. 

I hope this post gives you a few ideas for how to display vintage pieces in a new and different way for Thanksgiving decor.