Este artículo también está disponible en español: Acción de Gracias con Sabor Latino: Flores para una Mesa Donde Conviven el Pavo, los Tamales y el Pozole.
Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, November 26 this year, seven weeks from now. In many homes in our community, the table that day does not look like a recipe-book photo: the turkey shares space with tamales, rice, beans, pozole, or mole, and every family does it their own way. That is why there is no single correct arrangement. What does exist is a handful of simple rules that work on almost any table, and a calendar so you are not rushing the night before.
We are glad to help in Spanish, and this guide is written for families in Tualatin, Tigard, Sherwood, Wilsonville, and southwest Portland.
🍽️ One Table, Two Kitchens
When more than one tradition is on the table, there are more dishes, and dishes take up room. These three rules help:
- Leave room for the serving dishes. A table with turkey, rice, beans, and a pot of pozole has no space for a big centerpiece. Keep arrangements low (under about ten inches) or tall and narrow, and choose several small vases over one large one.
- Watch the scent. The food already smells of chile, cinnamon, corn, and spices, and does not need competition. Near the dishes, choose flowers with little or no fragrance. (Our guide to the least fragrant flowers helps with choosing.)
- Use warm colors. Orange, red, burgundy, and peach look good next to almost any autumn food.
🍂 What Is Available in Late November
By late November, not much is left of the summer flowers. Cempasúchil (marigold) is the flower of early November, since Día de los Muertos falls on Sunday, November 1 and Monday, November 2, but the same orange and yellow tones can be had with other flowers. What we normally have for Thanksgiving week:
- Chrysanthemums. They last many days and come in every autumn color. See our complete guide to mums.
- Roses in burgundy, peach, cream, and rust. They hold up well on a table that stays set for hours.
- Alstroemeria and lisianthus. Sturdy stems with a long vase life.
- Celosia (cresta de gallo, or “rooster comb”) and hypericum berries. They add texture and a deep red.
- Eucalyptus, branches, and oak leaves. Green and structure for the whole arrangement.
Availability and prices change from year to year, so tell us the style you want and we will suggest the best of what is available that week.
👪 Three Tables, Three Arrangements
The long table for the extended family (10 or more). Forget the big centerpiece. Run a line of six or seven small vases down the middle, each with two or three stems (a mum, a rose, a sprig of berries), with gaps between them for the serving dishes. Guests can see each other, and if a vase gets in the way, it moves with one hand.
The medium table (6 to 8). One compact arrangement at one end of the table, not in the middle, which belongs to the serving dishes. A vase with a narrow mouth takes up less space.
The friends’ dinner. Many groups of friends hold their own dinner the weekend before (this year, Saturday, November 21, or Sunday, November 22). Glass jars with a few stems work well here, and it is easy to pool money for a bouquet for whoever is lending their home.
💛 How to Say Thank You with a Bouquet
Thanksgiving is, literally, a day for thanks, and flowers are a lovely way to give them: to the host who cooked for the whole family, to a mother-in-law, to the neighbor who lent the chairs, to the teacher or caregiver who helped during the year. If you are bringing flowers to someone else’s home, hand them over already in a vase, so the host does not have to hunt for a container. We have a full guide on what to bring when you are invited to someone’s house.
The card matters as much as the bouquet. These phrases work as they are, and we write them exactly as you give them to us, without translating or changing anything:
- “Gracias por recibirnos en su casa.” (“Thank you for welcoming us into your home.”)
- “Con cariño y gratitud, de parte de toda la familia.” (“With love and gratitude, from the whole family.”)
- “Gracias por todo lo que hace por nosotros.” (“Thank you for everything you do for us.”)
- “Feliz Día de Acción de Gracias.” (“Happy Thanksgiving.”)
If you need help with the words, tell us who it is for and we will suggest something. You can also see our page on thank-you flowers.
🗓️ The Calendar
- Mid-November: Place your order. Thanksgiving week is busy, and the earlier you order, the better.
- Saturday–Sunday, November 21–22: The friends’ dinner, if you are going to one.
- Tuesday–Wednesday, November 24–25: The best days for flowers to arrive at the house.
- Thursday, November 26: Thanksgiving. If you are bringing flowers, hand them over early.
- Friday, November 27: The day of the recalentado (the reheated leftovers), as many families call it. A good day for a message or a small thank-you bouquet to the host.
Delivery days and hours for the holiday week can vary, so confirm them when you place your order.
🚚 If the Family Is Far Away
If you live in another state or another country and want to send flowers to the family hosting in Oregon, we can deliver in Tualatin, Tigard, Sherwood, Wilsonville, and southwest Portland. Confirm the address with the family, ask who will be home on Tuesday or Wednesday, and give a phone number for the person receiving. A short text (“some flowers are coming on Tuesday”) prevents confusion.
If you are planning the menu as well, our food-and-flowers guide has a pairing chart by cuisine, and you can learn more about our service in Spanish. 🦃