Easy Thanksgiving Centerpiece and the Shopping Debate

How do you feel about shopping on Thanksgiving?

I just read in my local paper that two malls near me are going to be open 
on Thanksgiving Day, for the first time. 

 I like to shop with the best of them, and if competitive shopping was a sport,

I'd be on the varsity team, for sure. 

But I have my limits. 

Now, I'm not judging.

I know that for some people, working on a holiday 
means badly needed extra income, 

  or for those who don't have plans for Thanksgiving, 
the mall provides a place to go. 

I get it that stores offer deals which make otherwise unaffordable items, affordable (but why can't they just wait till the next day???), 

and for some families, burning off calories at the mall together, 
is no less quality time than a game of Monopoly. 

Hey, whatever plucks your turkey.

It's just not my thing.

For me...and I'm just talking about ME here...

the "centerpiece" of Thanksgiving is spending time with my family around the table, and for once, not rushing to go anywhere. 

Most days of the year, we are racing through dinner for one reason or another...

homework demands, tennis practice, classes, etc.

This is one night of the year that I don't want to be choking down my turkey and cranberry sauce, to go and fight for a parking space at the mall.

Thanks, but no.

I guess it just makes me a tad sad that Thanksgiving

is becoming more and more about the "cuh-ching..." 
and brawling over sale items, rather than fighting over who gets the turkey wings.

 And, I feel bad for the people who have to work, that don't want to.  

  
Sorry, I didn't mean to get my turkey feathers all in a twist here. 
This post is supposed to be about a Thanksgiving centerpiece,
and so it shall be.

(OMG - this is too funny...Sadie was just barking her head off like a mad dog, 
and when I looked out the window to see why,
a parade of turkeys had just crossed the street.
Too bad I didn't have my camera handy!)

Back to the subject at hand...

  
You know how I like to do things the easy way.
As much as I admire all of the elaborate decor seen all over the web,
I just don't have the ability or the patience.

For this centerpiece, I started with a bamboo table runner, 
and a tray.

I placed three battery-operated candles in a rustic wooden box 
in the center of the tray,
and loosely wrapped some burlap trim around the candles.
Now you know why I opted for battery-operated...
as much I like a "wow" factor, setting my table top on fire 
is not the direction I'd like to go in, 
although it would be an excuse to buy a new dining room table. 
Hmmmm.

 Gourds, pumpkins, pine cones, and faux fruit were used to fill up the tray.
(Real fruit would have been even better if a certain Ms. Toody had gotten to the store in time).

 
I had a few pieces "spill out" onto the table, in a cornucopia-ish way.

The nice thing is, it's low enough that people can see each other across the table, 
which I'm assuming you and your guests think is a good thing ;)

 And, if you need room for the turkey platter,
you can easily lift the tray off table, and put it back when you're done. 

Well, I think my work here is done.  
 I'm going shopping :)

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