Home Decorating

Last year I lamented my inability to find any pilgrim decorations for my home to celebrate the Thanksgiving season.

This year I was happy to find some little statues at Hobby Lobby. And they even had Native Americans too. The problem was I had to buy them at the end of September. See, if you go to Hobby Lobby today, November second, the only holiday decorations you will find are for Christmas. I'm not complaining though, because they at least had to decency to give Thanksgiving a showing. So I bought them, brought them home, and put them away in the closet for a month. And yesterday they reappeared.

I'm very pleased with them. I love their little blank faces with pink cheeks, their detailed clothing, and the treasures that each of them is holding.

As Owen helped set them up he said "They're a big happy family!"

"Yes," I told him. "That's the whole idea." And I smiled knowing these figures where exactly the thing I wanted in my home to help me teach my children about the spirit of Thanksgiving.

He also helped me pull some other things out of my Thanksgiving box.

I'm a nick-knack type person. I love my little "things" that I have collected various places. Things tied to memories. But I also realize how cluttered that a bunch of nick-knacks can make a home feel. I love the top of my piano for displaying my treasures, but quickly came to realize if I put everything up there then you couldn't see anything!

So I decided that I should rotate some of my things with my seasonal decorations so that there are always new things to look at around my home.

For Thanksgiving I chose things that were made of natural materials. My wooden shoes from Holland. My little corn-husk mother and daughter carrying firewood, that I got in Bratislava. My beautiful beeswax candle, also from Bratislava. A brass candlestick, and a spiraling "courting" candlestick, from my sister's mission to Pennsylvania.

I also decided on my tin chickens I bought last year. I loved them so much I kept them out on display for a long time after I bought them, but always knew they were destined to be seasonal decorations. I just couldn't decide on spring or fall, but I think their coloring is best suited for fall.

We enjoyed celebrating Halloween, but I'm excited to jump right in to the short time that we set aside to celebrate Thanksgiving.