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What to Bring to Thanksgiving Dinner

Posted by Caley on November 11th, 2009 at 05:00am

Wondering what to bring to Thanksgiving Dinner? When you attend a Thanksgiving feast at a friend or family member’s home, you should bring a gift for the host(s). A little gift recognizes the hard work involved in cooking for a group and thanks the hosts for the effort. Lucky for you, these Thanksgiving host gifts are also a great excuse for crafting. Unlike a bottle of wine, a Thanksgiving craft gift can be enjoyed by those who do not drink. Here are some ideas for what to bring to Thanksgiving dinner.

Gift Basket/Activity

If you are looking for ideas for what to bring to Thanksgiving dinner, why not bring something that doubles as a gift and an activity? Purchase or make a small basket to give to the host. Don’t forget to thread an autumn ribbon through the reeds of the basket or line with pretty autumn fabric. Fill the basket with an activity for the group for before or after the meal. The activity could be as simple as a deck of cards or a crafty gift for those more inclined to such activities. Bring a disposable camera and the materials for several scrapbook pages. Guests can make their own Thanksgiving pages to leave with the host. For a fun activity that kids or adults will enjoy, gather the materials for these Thankful Pins and have the guests make them at the table. These pins are a great exercise in thankfulness.
Recycled Thank You Box

Take an empty mint tin, tea tin or other small, sturdy box and create a “Thank You” box. Paint the tin with autumn colors and write, stamp or stencil “Thank You” on the top. Fill the metal tin with a hand-written note and a few wrapped candies. You could even place a tiny felt or crochet leaf inside the tin for an extra dose of cute. For a full craft project using this idea, see Fall Thank You Tin.

Homemade Candle

Homemade candles are a great idea for what to bring to Thanksgiving dinner, as they are almost universally loved and can even be used during the feast. Create a homemade candle with melt-and-pour paraffin wax and a candle mold, or roll up beeswax sheets to create a natural candle. You can easily add autumn color and fragrance to melt-and-pour wax. In a pinch, a juice container works as a square mold for a candle. You will need a long wick and something to hold the wick while the wax hardens (a clothes pin or a pen and tape). Simply cut away the container when the wax is set. Follow this tutorial to create an ice candle, perfect for winter.

For something easier, you can purchase a plain pillar candle and add your own embellishments. With the help of a stencil, paint autumn leaves onto a light-colored candle. Or, create a candle wrap with scrapbook paper. Here are some candle wrap projects perfect for Thanksgiving:

Autumn Leaf Candle and Card Set
Harvest Candle Wrap
Easy Candle Slipcovers- These wraps are created over dollar-store glass cylinder candles. Wrap in autumn scrapbook paper for the Thanksgiving table.

Brooch

For the host(ess) with the most(est), create a little brooch using a small amount of materials. You may already have some scrap fabric, yarn or beads perfect for a little brooch project.

For brooch inspiration, see the beautiful Pomegranate Brooch made by flickr user brooklynechaos. This pin is just perfect for Thanksgiving.