Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, November 26. This all-American holiday is steeped in history and tradition. It all began in Plymouth, England in 1620. A group of 102 religious separatists boarded the Mayflower and set sail for the New World. If these people thought their lives in England were difficult, they were in for a rude awakening once they landed on the eastern tip of Cape Cod.

Seasonal Splendor

After spending a month on Cape Cod, the settlers boarded the ship and sailed across Massachusetts Bay, dropping their anchor for the last time at Plymouth Rock. With winter on the horizon, most of the would-be Colonists stayed on the ship out of sheer necessity. They didn’t have enough food, and in their malnourished state, they were more likely to develop nutritional deficiencies such as scurvy. They were also plagued by contagious diseases.

When spring arrived, the original 102 voyagers were reduced to half that number. Thanks to a chance meeting with an Abenaki Indian, the colonists were introduced to Squanto, an English-speaking member of the Pawtuxet tribe. He taught them how to fish, how to grow corn and other crops, and how to hunt and forage for edible plants in the wild.

By the fall of 1621, the newly established settlers were harvesting a bountiful harvest. The success of their planting prompted the colony Governor, William Bradford, to decide to organize a celebratory feast. He invited Squanto as an honored guest, along with members of the Wampanoag Indian tribe and their chief. Historical relics at the Plimoth Plantation site, suggest that this was the country’s very first Thanksgiving dinner celebration.

Before you gather in Fort Worth with your beloved family and closest friends, take the time to infuse your home with the colors and smells of Autumn. We may not have a traditional New England type of fall, but we can certainly do the best we can to recreate that in our Texas homes.

Our Country Harvest Centerpiece will bring the warmth of a fall harvest to your Thanksgiving dinner table. We use lilies, Gerbera daisies, mums and preserved oak leaves. We tie the whole arrangement together with a fall-colored plaid bow.

For something more unusual, grace your table with our Seasonal Splendor arrangement. This non-traditional assortment includes orchids, roses, daisies, mums, hydrangeas and succulents.

Don’t wait to order your Thanksgiving flowers. Gordon Boswell will help you choose or customize table centerpieces or any other floral decor for the rest of your home.