Thanksgiving is an American holiday. And traditions are a big part of the Thanksgiving holiday. No, not the tradition of decadently stuffing yourself to the point of absurdity. And not the tradition of passing out on the couch during the second half of the Redskins/Cowboys game or cheering as your college football team trounces (or gets trounced by) a long-established rival. I’m referring to the time-honored traditions surrounding the foods that grace the holiday dinner table.

Turkey

First and foremost, there’s the turkey, a food so much a part of Thanksgiving tradition that we often refer to the holiday as “turkey day.” Many historians assign the tradition of having turkey at the Thanksgiving table, to the ‘History of Plymouth Plantation,’ written around 1650 by William Bradford, a leader of the English Puritan separatists, who served for 35 years as governor of the Plymouth Colony. In his writing about the first harvest in 1621, Bradford states they “now began to come in store of fowl, as winter approached … And besides waterfowl there was a great store of wild turkeys, of which they took many.” Although turkeys are mentioned, it seems to me that it could just as easily have been duck or goose that the Pilgrims ate at their harvest celebration. And just as probable that they would have served venison or rabbit.

Corn

Bradford also wrote, “they began to think how they might raise as much corn as they could, and obtain a better crop than they had done, that they might not still thus languish in misery.” From this, it is certainly reasonable to surmise that corn, which is customarily served with the contemporary Thanksgiving meal, was almost certainly a part of the feast of 1621 as well.

But corn is more than a Thanksgiving Day food. It can be quite attractive and is often among the time-honored decorations that we adorn our homes and tables with. Beautifully colored cobs of flint corn, or Indian corn, are often dried and hung on the wall or on the door to greet those who enter, or used as part of the table centerpiece.

Pumpkin, squash and other seasonal vegetables and fruits

And speaking of centerpieces, what greater or better known symbol of the success of the harvest — of abundance, richness, and giving; than the overflowing cornucopia – the horn of plenty? Contemporary cornucopias are usually hollow, cone-shaped wicker baskets that have been steamed, bent and shaped to resemble the horn of an animal, then filled to overflowing with a variety of seasonal vegetables and fruits, among them small pumpkins, squash and gourds, apples, pears, corn, cranberries, grapes, and unshelled mixed nuts. Often citrus fruits and pomegranates are added to the display as well. Place a delightfully decorated, overflowing cornucopia amongst, upon, or within a border of autumn-colored leaves (if you haven’t got real ones, fake ones will do) and / or straw; add a couple of pine cones and a few flowers (both optional), and the picture is complete.

Many of the fruits, nuts, vegetables, leaves, etc. used in presenting the cornucopia are also frequently used to dress up railings, entrances, hallways, guest bedrooms, windowsills, countertops, and fireplaces. Place a good-size pumpkin or two on either side of the fireplace, for example, and/or a few small pumpkins or gourds upon the mantle.

A hollowed-out, medium-size pumpkin may be used as a vase for an informal arrangement of either fresh or dried autumn-colored flowers. Sheaves of dried wheat or decorative grasses can be used as an accent. You can even place a flowering plant, pot and all, inside a hollowed-out pumpkin. Then set it beside a door, indoors or out (weather permitting). Medium-small pumpkins can be hollowed out, and with the top removed, candles can be burned inside of them. Place several around the house in your windows for warm, welcoming illumination. For simple enhancement, small or tiny pumpkins or gourds can be discerningly placed around the turkey plate at the center of the table. (And you thought pumpkins were just for Halloween)!

A simple autumn wreath can be made very easily from grape vine (or you can buy one ready to go in a crafts store). Embellish it with flowers, leaves, small fruits, nuts, flint corn, pine cones — anything you feel captures the mood of the season– and place the finished wreath upon the door or over the fireplace.

Give thanks

Traditional Thanksgiving food and decorating ideas make for a memorable holiday. So let’s put out the decorations, set the table, and give thanks … for our families, for our friends, and for all of the wonderful things that we’ve harvested, and that we have yet to harvest, in our lives.