Thanksgiving can be a great time of year. It's the start of the holiday season, a time for family and close friends to get together to appreciate each other and eat great food. Everyone has a great time enjoying each other's company. However, if you are the host or hostess for the event, Thanksgiving can be a great deal more stressful. You have a lot more work to do then just showing up ready to socialize. Of course you have to put together the dinner, but besides that you are responsible for cleaning up your home and decorating it appropriately for the season. This can be challenging, but it doesn't have to be. I'll share some tips to create a fun and seasonally appropriate atmosphere in your home, through the use of stuffed animals. Using these plush toys as an extra decorating tip can do a lot for creating the right look for Thanksgiving.

The first thing you should consider is color. Thanksgiving decorating revolves around fall colors. These include browns, oranges, rusty reds, and golden colors. Colors that you can see in all the beautiful fall foliage. First, pick out some animals that are naturally within this color rage, and get a few plush toys of those varieties. Look for things like stuffed foxes, stuffed bunnies, plush chipmunks, stuffed moose, and stuffed squirrels. Before you know it you'll have the perfect home decorations.

Overall Decorations for the Home

Here are a couple examples for you. You could get a stuffed fox of a rusty-red color and put it on your couch. This will certainly brighten up your room. Or, on the coffee table surrounding the lamp, you could place some fall-appropriate acorns and a plush squirrel or chipmunk. You should use toys that are more natural in color and appearance in order to get the best, most authentic result. You could also create a "salad bowl" to house a stuffed animal filled with leaves and pinecones from the great outdoors, and put this anywhere you need an extra decoration.

Dinner Table Decorations

You probably already have some typical dinner table decorations, such as turkeys and pumpkins. But you can add even more fall cheer by including some stuffed animals with these arrangements. For example, get a little stuffed beaver to hold one or more of the pumpkins. If you are using fall colors for everything to as recommended, then these should complement your dinnerware. You could also create a unique Thanksgiving centerpiece. You could get some nice fall flowers and add a stuffed animal. Also you could get some fall leaf vines, and attach them to some natural-looking brown teddy bears. Then, just wrap them with the vines around your guest chairs for festive holiday seating.

Extra Decorating Tips

Maybe you want to decorate your entrance on the outside so your guests know they have the right house. Just take a run of the mill autumn wreath and pair it with a stuffed bunny, so it looks like the bunny is on a swing. Or have the animal hold a welcome sign. Of course, this animal doesn't have to be a bunny. Use whatever type of plush toy you think would work best for you and your guests.

Remember, stuffed animals can be used in many ways to make your Thanksgiving truly special. Not only can they be used for decorations, but if you have any children coming for the holiday, they can play with them once dinner is over, and even take them home if you don't feel like storing them and using them next year in another new arrangement. Be creative, with fall colors and natural appearing plush toys, and you will have a beautifully decorated home for Thanksgiving.