It's short and sweet. No undue obligations. No present-buying, card-sending or mounting of plastic Santas on rooftops. We simply gather with family and friends around a big table, toast the season with nice wine and enjoy a homemade meal of turkey and all the traditional trimmings.
Over the river, and through the wood, To Grandmother's house we go; The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh through the white and drifted snow.
Over the river, and through the wood Trot fast, my dapple-gray! Spring over the ground like a hunting-hound, For this is Thanksgiving Day.
--Lydia Marie Child
As a gardener, flowers are integral to my Thanksgiving celebration but I keep them classic and uncomplicated. Bouquets shouldn't be formal, complicated affairs with wired stems. Rather, my formula for gorgeous cut flowers is: simple + full = stunning.
Place one large arrangement in the entry area to welcome guests. The vase is important so choose with care–whether crystal or pottery, modern or antique. Keep the stems long and fill with a profusion of flowers.
On the dining table I adhere to two rules: nothing tall and nothing fragrant. Place several short, matching arrangements in identical vases in the center of the table. Diners can view the flowers up close and can see across the table. Use three or more bouquets, depending on the length of the table.
For a homogenous look, choose one flower and buy plenty to fill all vases generously. Or buy a mix of flowers but of the same color. A bouquet of dahlias, tea roses and alstroemeria in similar shades of rich burgundy would be stunning. Look for wax flower, hypericum berries, pepperberry or sea lavender for filler. Always use plenty of greenery–seeded eucalyptus, myrtle, salal, nandina and leucadendron.
In a final gesture of Thanksgiving, offer guests a table arrangement as they leave.
This also appears in the Askov American, Askov, Minnesota.
