Thanksgiving Entertaining Ideas: How to Throw a No FussFall Dinner

Fall and holiday entertaining is supposed to be fun. And it is! But being a great host can becomeoverwhelming without a few tricks. Lindsay Jackman, author of The WhiteÃ� Buffalo Trading Co.,has some terrific Thanksgiving entertaining ideas for us in the form of a fall entertaining guide. Shehas the game plan for you, along with some great fall decorating ideas and a simple DIYcandelabra.Ã�Â

This is her contribution to our Halloween and Harvest Style Challenge. We�ve sent some ofthe best lifestyle bloggers on the web some Home Depot fall decorations and let the bloggers worktheir magic creating practical decorating ideas and projects.

Take a look at Lindsay�s entertaining tips, and you�ll be ready to throw a great dinnerparty with a minimum of fuss, leaving more time for you to actually enjoy yourself.

Fall is finally here! Pumpkins fill the stores, the air is finally crisp (if only at night in the south), andpumpkin baked goods are all I can think about! Everything feels festive and something about theseason just makes me want to entertain.

I love throwing a dinner party and setting a beautiful table for friends to gather round. But so often,it becomes a huge production and I end up wishing I hadn�t thrown the party to begin with!

Follow my simple fall entertaining guide filled with the tips I�ve learned to make fallentertaining easy and fun not only for your guests, but for you!

Prepare in Advance

Plan out your meal and buy everything you can a day or so in advance. That�s the best thingabout fall entertaining, simple comfort food is a must! Stick to soups and cozy foods that are crowd-pleasers, but easy to prepare.

Get the house ready several days out.

I love these kilim pillows from Home Decorators Collection (here and here). They add so much cozytexture! And the simple touch of a jack-o-lantern luminary and stacked pumpkins give guests a warm

fall greeting right at the door.

Sit out those pumpkins, if you haven�t already. Nothing will bring fall into your home likesome pumpkins!

How to Display Your Pumpkins

For a stylish and quick way to create a pumpkin display, group a few different colored pumpkinstogether with some pine cones. On top of our hutch, I combined this outdoor jack-o-lantern withsome other pumpkin varieties. It�s really versatile. I turned it around for early fall, but canturn it around at any point for a different look. I paired it with a real heirloom pumpkin, someassorted small gourds, and a Home Depot twig pumpkin. I love how it mixes!

Set your table early too.

A Buffet is Easier

I love when guests come in to a pretty table. To save yourself some work, set up a dinner buffetsomewhere and when it comes time to eat, ask guests to grab their plate and serve themselves.

It�s less work than serving food at the table, but lets you start the evening with a beautifulfocal point at your dinner party!

Table Decorations

Color and textiles can really make a tablescape. I started this one with a wool navajo printed capethat I love! I was picturing something in deep jewel tones, and when I couldn�t find the rightrunner or tablecloth, I went to my closet for inspiration and saw this!

On top, I layered wood chargers to give each place setting a little heft, contrasting printed napkins,and fun, fall napkin rings.

I started by winding suede strips around each and tying them in the back. I wanted a haphazard,casual look and not a perfect napkin ring. Then, I tucked an assortment of fall clippings in each one,making each unique.

I took clippings off of this wreath, basket, and twig pumpkin to create the napkin rings. I loved theberries, small lanterns, and leaves on these guys! Plus, when I removed the fall touches for mynapkin rings, that left me with the bare twig pumpkin, which looks great on top of our hutch!

Set the Ambiance

For a fall gathering, nothing says ambiance to me like candles. They create magic like nothing else,are cheap, and are the easiest decorations!

DIY Fence Post Candle Holders

For the table, I pictured a grouping of all different candlesticks. I used a few that I had and then I

DIYed a few new ones with supplies found right at The Home Depot!

First, we took a wooden fence post and cut it into two different height candlesticks. Then, we used apaddle bit to drill a 3/4-in. hole in the top, which is the perfect size for a traditional taper candle.

And because I love an eclectic style and was going for a diverse grouping of candlesticks, I madesome new ones out of industrial pipe. The most amazing part about these is that they screw togetherand take about 30 seconds each!

I chose colored tapers because I think they can really add so much personality on a table. The bluegives this area some pizzazz and a cohesive feel where traditional white would�ve blended in.

Since our kitchen opens to the dining room, I love to use my large live edge island for serving. I hada vision to carry the use of candles into this space as well, and I pictured something a bit distinctive.

I wanted a large, copper candelabra and thought, �Why not make one?�

With some copper pipe and fittings from Home Depot, we created this unique industrial candelabra.

DIY Copper Pipe Candelabra

The images above show how we made the copper pipe candelabra.

1. Start with basic copper pipe and fittings for corners.

2. Cut your pipe to desired sizes (we did each piece as we went and put it together to visualize whatwe wanted)

3. You can see the piece laid out and put together. I wanted it to be asymmetrical with differentlengths of pipe coming out at different places. We started with the bottom two arms being 12�long. Then, the next two were 10� After that, we mixed it up and continued to decrease as itgot smaller. The best thing to do is put it together as you make it and lay it flat like this so that youcan see where more is needed.

4. Here�s an example of the bottom structure put together. After this, we cut a small centerpiece and then did another rung. We continued on that pattern until we had the size we wanted.

5. Here�s another up close shot of how it fits together.

6. Here, you can see that the arms twist, so once it�s all put together, you can move it whereyou want. After we got it put together and each arm exactly where we wanted, we glued the piecestogether with Liquid Nails to ensure it didn�t fall apart while being used.

7. After everything was glued and in place, we secured the candelabra to a rustic wood piece to giveit a platform for standing.

It makes such a statement on our island/buffet.

Now, we have our house set and are ready to throw that party!

Make Serving Simple

The worst part about throwing a party is being �stuck� as the hostess and not able toenjoy your guests. Solve this problem by creating self-serve stations where guests can helpthemselves and you are enjoying yourself.

Create a simple dessert buffet so that after dinner, guests can grab something sweet asthey�re ready. Keep it simple without a lot of different dessert options. Sticking with a triedand true apple or pumpkin pie is a safe bet for fall. Provide dessert plates, extra silverware andnapkins so that guests can grab what they need and mingle without heading back to the table, ifthey prefer.

Burlap Table Runner

To really give the island the feel of a buffet, I used Home Depot�s Burlap Table Runner downthe center and a mix of pumpkins and fall decor .

I used a mix of real pumpkins, Home Depot metallic pumpkins and gourds taken from the basketabove, and twig pumpkins after I�d removed the leaves to use elsewhere in the display. Iadded leaves, Japanese lanterns from the wreath, cinnamon sticks, and berries scattered to reallymake it feel like fall just tumbled onto my buffet.

It�s little details like the leaves and berries in this display and the napkin rings that reallymake your decor feel purposeful.

Beverage Station

Have a fall beverage station where several festive choices are waiting for your guests all evening.

Remember, our goal here is self-serve. Have water for tea already hot and ready in a kettle. In acrate, I have several tea options and coffee waiting to be made. Apple cider is another big fallfavorite. I like to serve it chilled in a pitcher so that I won�t need to tend to it throughout theevening.

You don�t need to have a ton of options to make your beverage bar feel extra special. Some

whipped cream, cinnamon, and cinnamon sticks for stirring are enough to make it feel �fallfancy� while not creating a full-service coffee bar for you to manage.

Enjoy Your Dinner Party!

And again, the best part of self-serve stations is that you can enjoy the party as much as your guests!

I enjoyed having you all over today!

Happy Fall Entertaining from my home to yours!

Lindsay Jackman is a design blogger and home-renovation survivor. She says sheâÂ�Â�sÃ� hasbeen looking for opportunities to decorate since she was a little girl. Now she shares style tips andhow-toâÂ�Â�s on her blogÃ� The White Buffalo Styling Co.Ã� She lives in Greenville, SouthCarolina with her husband Chris and their pooch GracieâÂ�¦ and baby Rosie will be arriving inJanuary!Ã�Â

Take a look at LindsayâÂ�Â�s boho-style backyard makeover here on The Home Depot Blog.Ã�Â

The mystery shipment of fall harvest decorations The Home Depot sent to Lindsay included theseitems:

For more DIY Thanksgiving and fall entertaining ideas, see other articles in our� Halloween andHarvest Style Challenge� series, and follow our� Fall Harvest pinboard on Pinterest.

Visit The Home DepotâÂ�Â�s onlineÃ� Holiday Decorations DepartmentÃ� for everything youneed to decorate your home for fall, Thanksgiving and Christmas.Ã�Â

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