by Janet Lee Harrold

Thanksgiving is here, the warmth of family and blessings, the natural hues right outside our door of crimson and gold flank nature’s landscape, as we walk through the crisp autumn leaves we are reminded to take in the beauty this short season has to offer, before we know it the town  will be white and we will be wondering where November has gone.

I often think of myself as a collector a scavenger of sorts,  I can’t help but enjoy the bounty that nature has to offer as I bring the outdoors inside, all the while keeping in mind that the many treasures I find will complete my autumn decor and add to my tablescape on Thanksgiving day. My guests are always in awe of the simple pleasures that are offered. I can’t take all the credit though, I think it is fun to make a list of treasures for the kids to forage for  on the weekends leading up to the Holiday.  Chestnuts, acorns, pinecones…these things should be in abundance right now, send them out with a bag or a basket and see what they retrieve and if you are really lucky you can find osage balls or crabapples.

I also like to pick evergreens and pinecones form various trees and use them strewn about the house both inside and out, on my front porch stoop I like to use birch logs and red twig dogwood, boughs of pine and douglas fir added to any leftover pumpkins that I may have from Halloween.

The grocery store is also a great place to find Thanksgiving accents, don’t forget the pomegranates, artichokes, cranberries and persimmons even the common fig…

With the bounty that you have collected over the next few weeks your Holiday setting will look it’s absolute best, you can use them loose on the table, in the entryway or you can make your very own wreath. If you are not quite feeling creative or up to the challenge, take a walk through Cedar Grove Gardens, it is a great place to get inspired and as always it has lots of nice treasures and ideas of it’s own. Happy hunting!