Thanksgiving Mantel Decor: 13 Simple Ideas, With a TV or Without

Lay a garland of eucalyptus and orange berries along the whole shelf and let both ends hang down the sides of the surround. Stand white and tan pumpkins on top, with three or four amber glass candle holders grouped at one end. A round mirror above reflects the candlelight. Dried orange slices tucked into the garland add color for the cost of one orange.

Lay a shallow basket on its side at one end of the mantel and let small pumpkins and gourds spill out of it with a few leaves. At the other end, stand a vase of maple branches and three wooden candlesticks. Repeat the idea on the hearth: a basket with a plaid throw and pumpkins, a copper pot of pine cones and two lanterns.

This is the mantel in the photo at the top of the page: a faux maple leaf garland with warm micro lights along a rough wood beam, a twig wreath with a burlap bow on the wall, two pillar candles on wooden holders at one end and a lantern, a jug of branches and a pumpkin at the other. It is the most traditional look, and every piece is easy to find second-hand; our thrift store fall decor guide lists what to look for.

Put the bulk on the floor. Group large pumpkins in gray-green, orange and white on both sides of the firebox with pillar candles between them, and keep the mantel itself to a leaf garland, a row of small candles and two candelabras. A leaf wreath above ties the two levels together. Heavy pumpkins are safer on the hearth than on a narrow shelf anyway.

For a room that is not orange: a garland of sage-green leaves, white berries and pampas grass, with white, cream and pale green pumpkins nestled into it, and tall taper candles in wood and brass holders. A vase of white dried branches at one end and a stack of old books at the other give height. It suits white and beige rooms, and most of it can stay through winter.

Gather brass candlesticks of different heights at one end of the mantel, six or seven of them, with cream tapers. Add a dark vase of branches behind and one small white pumpkin. That is the whole display. It is the cheapest idea here if you already own the candlesticks, and the easiest to turn into Christmas: swap the pumpkin for a sprig of pine.

Bundles of dried wheat tied with twine, standing in jugs or laid flat along the shelf, say harvest without a single pumpkin. Add dried hydrangea or strawflowers and a few brown glass bottles. Keep dried material well away from any flame.

If there is wall above the TV, hang a leaf wreath there. On the mantel, put a cluster of candlesticks and a short piece of leaf garland at each end, and leave the middle bare under the screen. Pumpkins and candles on the hearth balance the dark rectangle from below.

Hang a leaf garland in two swags from the front edge of the mantel, so it decorates the surround instead of the shelf. A pumpkin at each end is all the top needs, and nothing rises in front of the screen. Fix the garland with removable hooks on the underside of the shelf.

Make the mantel asymmetric: a tall vase of pampas grass, dried flowers and eucalyptus at one end, where it rises beside the TV rather than in front of it, three pumpkins at its foot and a leaf garland trailing along the shelf to the other end. Baskets and a plant on the floor on the same side keep the weight together.

When the TV fills the wall, decorate around the fireplace instead. Stand corn stalks or wheat sheaves on both sides of the firebox with potted chrysanthemums in front, keep the mantel to a low line of mini pumpkins and berries, and put a pair of baskets with dried wheat at the ends.

Cut leaf shapes from kraft or colored paper, have each person in the house write one thing they are thankful for, and clip the leaves to twine across the mantel. It costs a sheet of paper and gives guests something to read while dinner finishes. Hang it from the shelf edge, well below any candles.

A mantel with nothing bought: branches of colored leaves in a jug, pine cones in a bowl, apples or pears in a row, a few squashes from the kitchen, and whatever candles you own. Fruit and squash can be eaten afterward.