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Thanksgiving is such a wonderful symbol of fall, of the harvest and of all the other mental images we conjure up in our mind's eye when we think about this time of the year. As part of that spirit, many people like to decorate their homes in such a way as to reflect that time of the year, and as something to do before it's time to decorate for Christmas. Decorating a mantel for Thanksgiving can be a lovely way to create that ambiance in the home without having to do any lavish decorating.

Here are some ideas as to ways to make that mantel more festive for Thanksgiving.

*A harvest basket look -

Depending on how deep the mantle is, it may or may not be possible to place a basket on it. If not, that's okay too. Start by covering the mantel with a harvest colored mantel scarf. You can use one that will match the decor of your table, or you can have something altogether different. Gold, burnt Sienna, yellow ocher, oranges, reds and browns are all suitable colors. You can gather some Indian corn, gourds, small pumpkins, and even use squash and place them in a random arrangement across the mantel.

*Decorating with things from nature -

Instead of using Indian corn, pumpkins and gourds, you can lay attractively colored maple and oak leaves across the mantel (preferably on a mantel scarf,) and place things like nuts, acorns, pine cones, berries and other similar things on the mantle. If you happen to have some dried flowers such as golden colored yarrow, cockscomb, cat tails or other wild things that you can put in a vase, those things would all make a lovely focal point in the center of the mantle.

*Flowers -

Mums are the perfect fall flowers. They come in all sorts of wonderful fall colors and can be purchased as potted plants or as cut flowers. A potted plant is likely to last longer than cut flowers, but the advantage to cut flowers is that it's possible to mix different colors and varieties together to create attractive bouquets. You can add greenery to fill the bouquet out and give it a more formal and interesting appearance.

*Candles -

Another attractive way to decorate a mantel is by using candles. Since the fireplace isn't going to be near the dinner table, Thanksgiving themed candle scents will add a lot of ambiance to the atmosphere.

There are many ways to use candles. You can put a pillar candle in the center of a class bowl, and fill the rest of the bowl with cranberries. If you want something a bit more romantic, fill the bowl with water and allow the cranberries to float around. Instead of using a pillar candle, use several tea light candles. They will create a lovely reflection on the glass, and that will make for a calming and pleasant atmosphere.

If you can find mini pumpkins, use those to make miniature jack-o-lanterns. You can put a tea light candle inside your mini carved pumpkin and create a lovely atmosphere that way as well.

*Gourds -

Gourds are another nice symbol of the time of the year. Since they aren't edible, there is no need to worry about not refrigerating them. Gourds of different colors, sizes and shapes can create a lovely natural looking theme for a mantel. The gourds can be mixed with other non-edible decorative fall items including Indian corn, preserved leaves, pine cones, acorns or anything else you choose to include.

This is just a sampling of possible ways by which you can decorate your mantel. There are no hard and fast rules about what you can and cannot do. The two main factors that will govern what you do use and how elaborate the display will be are what you can realistically afford and what is readily and easily available in the area where you are living.

Learn more about this author, Theresa Rose.
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