Thanksgiving crafts, decorations and cards - with the look of vintage Americana Thanksgiving
crafts are all about hospitality: Welcoming decorations for
the
front door, for the walls and windows, and especially for the table.
Oh, and turkeys, turkeys, turkeys. The American Victorians loved Thanksgiving. It became a big 19-century cause, with Sarah Hale (the Victorian Martha Stewart) waging a 36-year campaign to establish a national Thanksgiving holiday. That's why vintage images and clip art from the period strike such a nostalgic tone for us today. Popular Thanksgiving crafts then as now include door decorations, like wreaths, sprays and swags. Winter greenery, dried vines, dried herbs and flowers, Indian corn and fruit are favorite materials - and turkeys are always appropriate. Inside, fresh and dried greenery adds harvest atmosphere and scent. Pumpkins are very appropriate to the holiday, along with fresh or dried gourds and flowers. Decorative images of Pilgrims and depictions of the first Thanksgiving are good craft subjects. Oh, and turkeys. The main focus, of course, is the Thanksgiving table. Handmade place cards, napkin rings, personalized linens, and favors are always a sign of hospitality. The table centerpiece can range from seasonal flowers, like chrysanthemums, to holiday harvest symbols like a cornucopia brimming with miniature pumpkins, gourds, fruits and vegetables. The colors of autumn prevail, with pine cones and dark, spicy candles. Or a turkey will work. As always, if you need anything for your crafts, Joann.com Thanksgiving Crafts
The Many Symbols of ThanksgivingAlthough research has documented earlier community celebrations in gratitude for good harvests or deliverance from hardships, history recognizes the first American Thanksgiving as the three-day feast in October, 1621, at the Pilgrim colony at Plymouth, Massachusetts. The Pilgrims, led by Governor William Bradford, invited the chief of the native Wampanoag Indians, Massasoit, and his tribesmen to join the fifty colonists who had survived the harsh winter. The menu came from what was on hand, including wild turkeys, duck, geese, venison, seal, lobsters, clams, bass, corn, green vegetables, and dried fruits.Over the next century, various days of thanksgiving were celebrated in autumn throughout the thirteen colonies. It wasn't until 1789 that George Washington declared a national holiday, although it was not established annually. It took a 36-year, personal campaign by Sarah Hale, the editor of Ladies Magazine and Goday's Lady's Book, to raise public and political interest that resulted in Abraham Lincoln's 1863 proclamation establishing the last Thursday in November as a day of thanksgiving. This proclamation was repeated each year by successive presidents until 1939, when Franklin Delano Roosevelt moved it to the next-to-last Thursday of November - essentially to lengthen the Christmas shopping season by a week. As had been true since 1789, the holiday only applied to the District of Columbia and federal employees, and many states continued to celebrate Thanksgiving on different days. In 1941 Congress passed a joint resolution decreeing Thanksgiving an annual national holiday on the fourth Thursday of November. The symbols of Thanksgiving are the images of prosperity, Pilgrims, harvest and food - usually a turkey. In 1856, the publishing of a 1650 manuscript by the Pilgrim governor, William Bradford, captured the Victorian imagination about the first Thanksgiving. His description of the Pilgrim fortitude and survival, the assistance of the Native Americans, and the primitive feast, resulted in romanticized illustrations and depictions that stay with us today. Also associated with the holiday is the horn-shaped cornucopia, a magical symbol of fertility and abundance from Greek mythology. Add in pumpkins and the fruit of the fields, and you have the makings of Thanksgiving.
Do you have a favorite Thanksgiving craft? We would appreciate hearing from you with ideas, comments or questions. Please, contact us with a note! Return from Thanksgiving Crafts to the Home Page
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