A medieval Thanksgiving
A mood, as they say
I’m hosting Thanksgiving next week so I am going a little crazy. Next week I’ll send out a Witches on Monday and then take the rest of the week off, with your blessing.
The whole decorating thing is what really throws me. It frustrates me that I am a creative person in some ways, and yet I just don’t artfully and effortlessly create a tablescape that takes up exactly the right amount of table in a very minimal amount of setup and cost without a lot of angst. I have friends who do this well, and like it. Why am I not like them? This year I floated the idea of outsourcing it to my husband, which he didn’t seem to mind, but I need to get him to swear in blood that he will do it on my timeline (i.e not at 2:30 on Thursday.)
Anyway, if that doesn’t work out, I got these vintage magazines over the summer (check out their tips on making husbands happy) and got some really good ideas on the perfect retro Thanksgiving. Going off the November 1965 issue of Good Housekeeping, the way to decorate and entertain was to pretend that you lived in a dark castle in the middle ages.
Here is your inspiration board for your Ye Olde Thanksgiving:
“WE SHALL BE SERVED FROM ONLY THE HEAVIEST CUT GLASS!”
“WE SHALL SIP ONLY FROM GOBLETS!”
“WE SHALL WEAR THE MOST SUMPTUOUS OF GOWNS”
‘‘THINGS SHALL BE THE DARKEST OF WOOD, EVEN THINGS YOU WOULDN’T EXPECT, LIKE THE GOBLETS”
***
Incidentally if you were wondering whether there were any P.O.C. in that 1965 Good Housekeeping, the only person I could find was a small black and white photo of a man who claimed to be “Famous fish chef “Norman Stewart” at the “Davy Jones Restaurant” in New York, but based on some very cursory research seemed to be a fictional person created by Mazola ad executives. There was, however, a pretty offensive ad involving Native American stereotypes used to sell kids’ pajamas.
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Caftan life looks pretty good to me, TBH. [full disclosure: my halloween costume as Moira Rose involved a caftan and it's taking everything in my power not to become The Caftan Lady with No Fs Left to Give]