You. Yes, you there. With the hop in your step, twinkle in your eye, and handful of garland before the jack-o-lantern has passed on. I am talking to you, with the boxes of lights crowding your hallway, and presents already on lay-a-way. Aren’t you forgetting something?
There is still plenty of autumn to be had, including its’ crowing celebration with turkey and stuffed relatives. Winter will have its moment, and drag on forever if I recall. So slow down, take time, and smell the pumpkin pie.
Whether you are receiving guests in your home, or are invited over for dinner for Thanksgiving, don’t neglect the impact and beauty of late season flowers and decorations. Welcome family to your home with a warm wreath on your door. If you are hesitant about its short life, request a trans-seasonal mix of evergreens, wheat, faux fruit, and rich ribbon in burnt orange, copper or burgundy which can last longer than the leftovers.
If you aren’t cooking your own pumpkin or apple pie, fake it with wonderful scented candles placed strategically in the home. Why not use miniature gourds to hold each guests name and decorate the table? If your feast is more about football than side dishes, order up a novelty design of mums shaped like a football to place on the buffet table, or simply decorate a beautiful mum with team colors.
Get the kids involved with carving out pumpkins. You can toast the seeds, and use the shells as holders for plants, fresh floral designs, or even as soup tureens.
There is no better way to thank your hosts than with the ever-welcome gift of fresh flowers for their table. Celebrate the season with both traditional and newer autumn blooms. Combine sunflowers, mums, apples, spray roses, berries and leaves into a cornucopia. Alternately, select gorgeous chocolate colored orchids with bittersweet, smokebush, photina, and wide candles for an updated, contemporary look. There are now just as many shades of apricot, orange, vermillion, gold, champagne and chocolate roses from US and import growers as pink or white shades, and can make a statement when combined with seasonal branches and leaves instead of the classic baby’s breath. Selecting fresh blooms as your way of saying “thanks” assures you the best seat next year, include a bottle of wine and you are gravy!
Because, in the end, this celebration, no matter how it began, or how you honor it today, is about family, harvesting what we have sowed all year, and gratitude. Flowers and the bounty of nature remind us of our own ephemeral nature, reminding us to take time to be grateful for every moment together, every shared meal, and even every argument about where the serving spoons are.
What you have is this moment. What you want should be what you have. Stop. Pause. Hug your family. Share a drink. Toast those who passed. Stop and smell the chrysanthemums. You’ll thank me.
