You know Thanksgiving is right around the corner when you see giant inflatable turkeys popping up on lawns everywhere. While those mass-produced decorations are fun, wouldn’t you rather have something unique that shows off your personality? With a little creativity and DIY spirit, you can easily make memorable Thanksgiving yard decorations to get your guests chattering.
In this article, I’ll share plenty of ideas to inspire your inner crafter. From simple touches to elaborate setups, there are lots of ways to decorate your yard for Turkey Day. Let’s get started!
Simple Touches
Looking for easy ways to inject some Thanksgiving flair without a ton of work? A few simple touches can infuse festive spirit into your outdoor space. Consider these effortless ideas:
Hay bales
Grab a few hay bales from the local garden center to use as rustic seating. Top with plaid blankets and scatter a few pumpkins around for an instant autumnal vibe. Add a cute sign with your family name or a Thanksgiving greeting.
Mums
These quintessential fall flowers last for weeks, making them perfect porch decor. Go for classic orange, yellow, and burgundy hues. Cluster several pots together for bold impact.
Cornstalks
Line your sidewalk or edge your garden beds with mini cornstalk bundles. Local farms and greenhouses typically sell them cheap by the bundle. You can even incorporate them into fun DIY decor like cornstalk figures.
Burlap
Use burlap fabric to make bows, bunting banners, and other accents. Tea-stained burlap offers a vintage autumn look. For bows, simply wrap burlap strips around your mailbox, porch columns, or other surfaces then add raffia or twine ties.
Leaf garlands
String up vibrant fall leaves for easy festive flair. Collect an assortment of red, orange, and yellow leaves. Then, use floral wire or twine to attach them into a long garland. Wrap your garland around railings, doorways, or other areas.
Pumpkin Power
No Thanksgiving display is complete without pumpkins! Use them in creative ways all around your yard with these fun ideas:
Painted designs
Let kids go wild painting faces, patterns, words, or other designs on pumpkins for the porch or steps. Those leftover Halloween pumpkins work great for this.
Groupings
Gather pumpkins of varying sizes and colors in vignettes around your yard. Try stacking them on the front steps or clustering them around the mailbox. Mix in gourds for more variety.
Lanterns
Carve pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns and place tealight candles inside for festive lighting. Group them along your sidewalk or line your driveway with them.
Pumpkin figures
Assemble creative pumpkin people, animals, and shapes. Glue pumpkin parts together, then add details like facial features with paint, markers, or craft parts.
Variety
Don’t limit yourself to basic orange pumpkins! Many fun varieties exist like white, blue-green, Cinderella (pale yellow), and warty ‘Knuckle Head’ types.
Natural Elements
Bring the best textures and colors of fall with natural accents like these:
Acorns
Crafty decor options are endless with acorns. String them together into garlands or cluster them in a glass vase for a rustic table centerpiece. Or get kids to make little acorn people and animals using toothpicks and googly eyes.
Pinecones
Pinecones offer similar versatility. Glue tiny pumpkins onto them or brush them with fall-colored paint for sweet details. Group them in baskets on your porch.
Corn husks
Use leftover corn husks from your meal to create mini corn husk dolls. Or save them up to weave into harvest-themed wreaths and wall hangings.
Apples
Fill bowls or jars with apples and mini pumpkins for a classic autumnal display. You can also skewer chunks of apple onto sticks to make edible turkey tail feathers.
Maple leaves
Past-peak colorful maple leaves blanketing your yard are nature’s own decoration. Rake them into piles or cover your garden beds with them.
Outdoor Fall Vignettes
One of my favorite approaches is crafting mini vignettes throughout the yard focused on different fall motifs. Here are fun theme ideas:
Woodland creatures
Add a touch of woodland whimsy with natural-looking animal figures, like raccoons, foxes, owls, or squirrels peeking out among the autumn foliage.
Harvest scene
Use bales of hay along with pumpkins, gourds, and cornstalks to create a harvest tableau. Top it off with a sign like “Happy Thanksgiving from the [Your Last Name] Family.”
Scarecrow corner
Designate one area for vintage-style scarecrows and corn shocks. Go for a fun farmer theme with plaid flannel accents.
Turkey flock
Make turkey cutouts from wood, felt, or cardboard. Then “flock” them together in one spot. For a humorous touch, add googly eyes and wattle accents.
Autumn garden
If you have mums, pansies, ornamental kale and other fall-bloomers, cluster them together for a concentrated autumn garden. Add pumpkins and gourds tucked among the plants.
Fun Displays
For something more playful and over-the-top, build unique displays everyone will remember. Some ideas:
Turkey bowling
Line up plastic bowling pins or empty soda bottles. Then “bowl” using mini pumpkins or even real small turkeys if you can get them! Draw numbers on a backdrop to keep score.
Giant cornucopia
Make a huge horn-shaped basket from chicken wire and corn husks. Fill it overflowing with autumn bounty like pumpkins, gourds, nuts, and pinecones.
Turkey feather tree
Glue paper turkey feathers all over a small tree so it appears to be a giant turkey. Go for volume by using feathers in fall colors like bronze, brown, orange, and maroon.
Spoon turkey
Hammer rows of spoons into a wooden slab in the shape of a turkey. Paint the spoon heads brown and add googly eyes for the silly but festive lawn décor.
Leftovers art
Let younger kids create their own masterpieces by gluing leftover corn husks, pine needles, seeds, stems and other natural items onto wood cutouts.
The more creative and silly, the better! Crafting pieces full of personality will give your guests something fun to admire and talk about.
Lighting Effects
Lighting instantly amps up curb appeal and adds ambiance. Incorporate lighting using these suggestions:
Candle luminaries
Line your sidewalk or driveway with brown paper bag luminaries. Place a votive or tealight inside each one. For extra pizzazz, cut turkey shapes into the bags.
Twinkle lights
From trees to wreaths to bushes, wrap anything and everything in twinkle lights! Go classic with white or multicolor. Set them on a timer to turn on at dusk.
Projection lights
Project patterns like leaves, pumpkins, or turkeys onto garage doors, walls, or other surfaces. This creates impressive displays of light easily.
Tiki torches
Circle patios, yard edges, or anywhere you want to define with festive flicker flames. For safety, use battery-operated torches or solar-powered ones.
Fire pits
Fire pits instantly warm up your space for fall gatherings. Encircle them with hay bales for seating or group your pumpkins around the glow.
DIY Décor
Part of the fun of Thanksgiving decorating is making your own unique creations. Don’t be afraid to get crafty with these ideas:
Signs
Make signs from wood displaying fun, punny phrases like:
- Gobble til you wobble
- Don’t squash my gourd time
- Butterball Boulevard
- Wild turkeys sleep here
- All our half-baked ideas
Wreaths
Craft wreaths from falls’ bounty like dried leaves, mini gourds, acorns, and cattail fluff. Accent with burlap bows, twine, and sprigs of wheat.
Centerpieces
Fill vases, pots, and containers of all kinds with pretty autumnal arrangements. Some ideas: wheat grass, maple leaves, mini pumpkins, dried pods and flowers.
Painted rocks
Paint messages, turkey images, or fall designs onto smooth rocks. Then tuck into your leaf piles, line pathways, or display in vignettes.
Signpost
Make a creative multi-armed signpost to point guests to fun areas like the turkey decorations, photo booth, food, and more.
Place cards
Use clothespins to clip custom place cards onto hay bales, chairs, or wherever you want guests to sit. Get creative with fall puns and icons!
The DIY options are endless. Not feeling crafty? Buy inexpensive supplies like burlap, seasonal gardening accents, and unfinished wood craft shapes. Then assemble, embellish, and display for easy yet unique decor.
Make It Interactive
Beyond static decor, give your guests fun opportunities to interact and become part of the display. Ideas:
Pose with props
Set out seasonal themed props like pilgrim hats, bib aprons, feather boas or scarves, and cardboard turkeys on sticks. Let guests pose for memorable holiday photos.
Coloring contest
Print off outlines of turkeys, autumn leaves, and cornucopias. Set out crayons, markers, and colored pencils so guests can participate in a coloring contest. Hang them up afterwards for an instant Thanksgiving art gallery.
Thankful tree
Place a small tree in a container along with paper cut into leaf shapes and pens for writing what guests are thankful for. Have everyone add a leaf to the tree throughout the day.
Leftovers station
Set up a display with take-home bags or boxes so guests can creatively package up leftovers to enjoy at home. Include recipe cards for reimagining leftovers into new dishes.
The “giving” box
Place a nicely decorated box or basket for collecting canned goods and other donations for those in need. This combines seasonal decor with the true spirit of Thanksgiving.
Dress Up Your Decor
Looking to add more pizzazz? Accessorize basic decorations with fun embellishments using these ideas:
Bandanas
Use inexpensive bandanas from the dollar store to make mini turkey-shaped flags, bows, napkin rings, placemats, and other accents. They come in great autumnal colors.
Twine
Wrap twine around pumpkins, vases, pots, bales of hay, railings, bushes, and anything else that needs a bit of rustic texture.
Spray paint
Transform dollar store items like plastic tableware, vases and tin cans by spray painting them autumn colors like bronze, copper, and burnt orange.
Leaves
Adhere colorful fall leaves using hot glue onto napkins, placecards, wreaths, garlands, and other decor. Whole leaves or leaf confetti works.
Chalkboard
Turn dollar store frames, boards, and tins into mini chalkboards. Use them to label food stations, display funny sayings, or leave inspiring messages.
Don’t overlook small details that can add character and take your decor up a notch. Craft stores offer ribbons, raffia, fabric scraps, rickrack trim, and other embellishments that work beautifully.
Make Decor Multipurpose
Spending time crafting yard decor? Make sure it pulls double duty. Ideas:
Edible accents
Use things like mini sugar pumpkins, Indian corn, cranberries, and nuts that can decoorate AND get eaten.
Games
Turn decor like cornhole boards, ladder ball, yard pong, and yard jenga into entertainment when the decorating is done.
Storage
Repurpose crates, wheelbarrows, buckets, and baskets used for décor into extra storage for yard tools afterwards.
Seating
Hay bales and cute poufs used as decoration can serve as extra guest seating when festivities begin.
Cozy elements
Incorpororate yard decor like fire pits, patio heaters, and blankets that will keep you warm as temperatures drop.
Plan ahead to make items functional for seasonal use all autumn long. Extend your hard decorating work into the entire fall season.
Embrace the Mess
As you craft and design, don’t stress about keeping your yard pristine. Scattered leaves, straw, corn husks, and other natural remnants add to the ambiance. Remind kids to only decorate within the designated area, then let them go wild! Sweeping and raking leaves into organized piles actually achieves a polished, purposeful look. You want that rustic, well-loved harvest feel.
Enjoy the Process
Thanksgiving is about appreciation, simplicity, and family. As you decorate, remember that it’s not about Pinterest-perfect results. It’s the experience of designing it together that makes it meaningful. Have fun crafting unique decorations as a family, then see them through the eyes of your loved ones when they arrive. That joy is what the holiday is all about.
Get creative, embrace imperfections, and make it personal. Your home will shine with the warmth, memories and meaning that Thanksgiving is meant to reflect. Happy decorating!
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some easy DIY Thanksgiving decorations?
Some easy DIY decorations include painting and carving pumpkins, making corn husk dolls or wreaths, decorating hay bales with blankets and signs, making garlands out of fall leaves or acorns, and clustering mums, gourds, and cornstalks for harvest displays.
When should I put up and take down Thanksgiving decorations?
Most people put up Thanksgiving decorations 1-2 weeks before Thanksgiving. Take decorations down anytime from a few days after Thanksgiving to early December when switching to Christmas décor. Natural elements like pumpkins, gourds, and fresh flowers may only last 2-3 weeks.
What are good Thanksgiving colors for yard decorations?
Classic Thanksgiving colors that complement fall foliage include orange, yellow, burgundy, brown, tan, bronze, mustard, sage green, and muted metallics like copper or champagne.
What supplies do I need for DIY Thanksgiving decorations?
Basic supplies include pumpkins, mums, hay bales, corn stalks, burlap, twine, dried leaves and acorns, spray paint, wood cutouts, scrap wood, paints, glue gun, wreath forms, and faux autumn flowers.
Where can I buy supplies for Thanksgiving yard decorations?
Craft stores like Michael’s offer a huge selection of seasonal supplies, from paints to wreath forms to faux flowers. Grocery stores, farmer’s markets, and garden centers also carry pumpkins, mums, corn stalks, gourds, and more. Check dollar stores for cheap craft supplies to embellish your decor.
In Summary
Thanksgiving offers so many fun opportunities to infuse creativity and personal touches into your yard. Simple natural elements like pumpkins, leaves, and mums make stunning yet easy decor. Handmade signs, wreaths, centerpieces and other DIY accents lend festive spirit and personality. Fun displays like scarecrows and turkey bowling will delight guests and spark memorable moments. Lighting and interactive elements enhance the ambiance and experience. Similarly, in the realm of business, sending out Christmas cards offers advantages beyond perfection, emphasizing the intentional process of fostering client relationships and goodwill. Much like the warmth and meaning brought to Thanksgiving through family involvement, these cards serve as a festive extension, creating a connection that goes beyond the business transaction. Wishing you a season filled with meaningful connections and successful endeavors!
