Looking for ideas for a simple and welcoming Friendsgiving tablescape? I have a few ideas to help make your table pretty and festive!

Last year during the pandemic, I was adamant that we would NOT cancel the holidays.

I don’t know about you – but I mean I live for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

So when my husband suggested we eat earlier and outside for our Thanksgiving meal – I was all in!

I had been hosting an outdoor fall Friendsgiving dinner party outside for years at that point, so why not do Thanksgiving outside too?

In fact, my simple and welcoming Friendsgiving tablescape is honestly one of my most favorites of the year.

I will say – we tried to get our Christmas Eve dinner celebration outside in 2020 as well.

But San Diego weather put the squash on that one.

By mid-December, our normally temperate nights get quite chilly so Christmas dinner sadly could not be moved outside.

Which meant instead of our normal crowd of 20+ friends and family on that holiday – we had just my immediate family, my mother, father, sister, and brother in-law over for dinner for a total of 9 guests.

More on that later though – let’s stick to Friendsgiving and Thanksgiving for now – shall we??

I am joining my very talented blogger friends while they share their own Friendsgiving tablescapes (very likely indoor I might add 🤷‍♀️).

So please be sure to scroll to the bottom of this post and check out their amazing fall inspiration as well!

Oh – and if you are coming here from Rachel at The Ponds Farmhouse – HI!!!

I am so excited you are here – and would be tickled orange (it is fall after all) – if you want to learn more about me on my ‘About Me’ page!!!

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Okay – now back to the Friendsgiving/Thanksgiving inspo!!

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In a rush?

Vintage Decor

I get most of my vintage decor from either Etsy or from a local architectural salvage store in downtown San Diego.

It is honestly somewhat tricky to find good stuff here in SoCal – most things are either beach related or boho style.

I thought when Joanna Gaines made the modern farmhouse style popular, I would start seeing more of those types of decor items in local shops.

But alas – I am still relegated to Etsy and driving thirty minutes to downtown SD for my vintage items.

Etsy is where I found this super cool looking rusted milk can and is perfect for my Friendsgiving tablescape!

If you are lucky enough to have lots of vintage shops in your area – keep an eye out for items you wouldn’t necessarily think of as a flower vase ;)!

Real and Glass Pumpkins

I used a mix of real and glass pumpkins in my Friendsgiving tablescape.

Remember – the whole point is to be cozy and welcoming for Friendsgiving and Thanksgiving.

Don’t overthink it!!

Plus honestly – what makes a home most welcoming is the people that are in it – am I right?

I have never seen mini Cinderella pumpkins before – so what a fun new addition to fall decor this year!

The size and look of them makes them so that they can be used in multiple places.

Like stacked in a lantern with twinkle lights ;).

Fresh Flowers

While I am notorious as the queen of faux flowers and plants, when I am having a dinner party, I try to get to Trader Joe’s for in season flowers.

Trader Joe’s did not disappoint this week!

So many colors for mums! Or maybe my timing was just perfect?

Who knows? But I felt lucky (and excited to get my tablescape going!).

I don’t use any greens in my flower arrangements.

As you can see – I keep it CRAZY simple with just a bunch of stems whose color scheme goes well together.

Again – simple and welcoming!

Votive Candles

Most people in the decorating world know that lighting is key!

It sets the whole mood!

We have four strands of Edison light bulbs strung above our patio dining area.

And let me tell you – it makes a HUGE difference!!

But besides the four strands of outdoor lights – I always have votive candles on my outdoor table.

And yes – I said always.

I change out the colors based on the season. So for fall Thanksgiving tablescape ideas – I would use either gold, ivory, or copper votive holders.

The copper are my favorite to use this time of year though!

Acorns, Pine Cones, or Leaves

I have quite a bit of decor options in my house when it comes to adding a little extra to the Friendsgiving/Thanksgiving table.

I found some really awesome dried quince slices that I literally use all over my house in the fall.

But for this particular tablescape, I stuck to small and simple acorns thrown all about the table.

Cozy Blankets

I know, I know – you are thinking geez do San Diegans even use throw blankets??

And the answer is a resounding YES WE DO!

In fact, speaking for myself and my family, our blood has thinned since we moved to SoCal.

We get cold easily.

BUT ALSO OUR NIGHT TEMPS DO DIP!!

So yes – I provide cozy throw blankets for my guests.

I also put something down on my rather itchy and rustic seat benches.

Started that about two years ago when I actually got a sliver in my you know what.

So instead of replacing the rustic benches that I love – I just change the blanket/towels on the benches to match the season!

How fun is that??

I currently have the Loomia Deniz Turkish towels on my benches outside – AND LOVE THEM!!

They are honestly ridiculously soft!! And technically sold as a bath towel – but hey – repurposing is the thing nowadays – right??

But seriously – we have an entire basket of “outdoor” throws that don’t get used inside the house and are always ready for that impromptu backyard hangout with friends ;).

Scandia Home sent me two of their travel attachés this year and can I just say LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Honestly, these throws will be on every single holiday gift guide I am about to write FYI.

Because yes, I am that obsessed with the quality, warmth, softness – do you need me to go on??

I also now have their bedding on my main bed (check out my main bedroom refresh post here btw!) – I cannot say enough about the quality of this company’s products ;).

Firepit

If you have actually read everything I have written in this post (OMG THANK YOU!) – you know I told you us SoCal people get cold.

In fact, every single one of my friends has an outdoor firepit or fireplace in their backyard.

And we use them.

A lot!

I guess because we don’t actually get temps that get so low that we just cannot go outside, we are able to use our backyards year round.

YAY!

So we have two firepits in our backyard…

Did I tell you I love to entertain and have friends over?

We’ve been known to throw parties with almost 100 friends and family at one time.

That reminds me – I need to write blog posts on Eagle Scout ceremonies and graduation parties (and asap too – right cuz those things just sneak up on us!).

Anyway – there are some great options for portable firepits out there right now.

I had purchased one last year from Amazon but then when we remodeled our backyard this summer, it didn’t quite fit anymore so I gave it away to Goodwill ;).

This is our new Polywood firepit table that we got when we remodeled our backyard this past summer of 2021.

Remember my lighten and brighten? Yea – backyard too…

You can read all about our backyard remodel here if you are looking for backyard inspo!!

Keep your firepit on during dining in case your guests finish eating and want to sit someplace more comfortable (tryptophan anyone??).

Plus it just looks pretty in the background when a flame is burning ;).

A Well Stocked Bar Cart

I mean – can it even be a Friendsgiving or Thanksgiving without a well stocked bar cart??

I loooovve this new to me outdoor bar cart that I found at the beginning of summer.

Weird fact – I had never owned a bar cart before last year.

And now I have – ummmmm three? Two for inside and this one outside now!

But seriously – how did I ever entertain my guests without a bar cart?? 😂

Also – make sure you stock that cart well for your fall dinner party.

In fact, last year at the beginning of my blogging career – I wrote a blog post with three awesome fall cocktails.

I told you it was the beginning of my blogging career so you can excuse the not so easy to read writing skills I had back then.

It’s amazing what a difference a year makes in the world of blogging ;).

But anyway – here is that fall cocktail blog post cuz the cocktails are worth looking at 😂.

And of course – my awesome outdoor fall bar cart!

Please don’t look at the empty drink dispenser and ice bucket – I mean filling those for a blog post might have been just too much effort for me at this point… sorry 🤪.

I hope you found inspiration and great ideas for a simple and welcoming Friendsgiving tablescape OR Thanksgiving tablescape.

I know this is an outdoor tablescape – but honestly – all of these ideas can be used inside too!

Throw blankets? Check.

Fireplace on? Check.

I think you get the picture ;).

My sweet and awesome blogging friend Kelly from The Tattered Pew is next on this fun Friendsgiving tablescape blog hop – so don’t miss heading over to her blog to see what fall inspiration she has in store for you ;).

You can also scroll a little bit further to see all the amazing fall inspo from bloggers that are participating in this fun fall hop!

If you are looking for some fall recipe inspiration – I have got you covered with this fall recipe roundup post here!

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Autumn shows us how beautiful it is to let things go.

~ Unknown

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