Many people consider Thanksgiving to be the time of year that signals the start of the holiday festivities. No matter which holiday you might celebrate, Thanksgiving is the one that kicks the preparations for it into high gear. Decorating for the holiday is made simple yet festive by using the right seasonal centerpiece for the tables in your home.

Since the dinner table is a primary focus during the Thanksgiving holiday, it makes sense to choose an appropriate centerpiece. The centerpiece provides warmth and adds to the high spirits of the holiday. Taking the time to choose the right one can mean the difference between a stunning table and one that is simply passable.

Using flowers, fruit or other fresh ingredients allows the centerpiece to be very seasonable. When placed in charming props, such as a wheelbarrow or cornucopias, a centerpiece will be almost as talked about as the food and beverages served.

Combining fresh flowers and candlelight enables the hostess to deliver a formal yet romantic air to the dinner table, making it perfect for small, intimate Thanksgiving celebrations as well as more formal, multiple course affairs.

For those end tables that just beg to be included in the Thanksgiving decorations, those that include props, such as a rustic wheelbarrow, make a charming addition to any home. With a rich play of fall foliage colors, such as oranges, reds, yellows and purples, centerpieces can bring the festive look to the living room, too.

Thanksgiving centerpieces that burst with freshness and seasonable festiveness make the perfect gift for any hostess. This thoughtful gift will continue to brighten the room long after the Thanksgiving turkey has been carved.

Veterans Day is an official holiday in the United States designated to honor, thank and remember all those who have served in the military, both present and past. Veterans Day is a federal holiday observed on November 11th each year and is the perfect time to celebrate, appreciate and thank all of those who have risked their lives to fight and defend our country.

President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11th “Armistice Day” in 1919, saying: “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations.”

It wasn’t until 1954 that Congress changed the name of “Armistice Day” to “Veterans Day”. It has been known as Veterans Day ever since- a day to remember lives lost in the effort of obtaining freedom for all Americans. Veterans Day has always been a special time to thank, celebrate and remember all the men and women who have served in the armed forces in order to defend our country and our freedom. This Veterans Day, show the heroes in your life just how much you appreciate them with a patriotic floral arrangement from Veldkamp’s Flowers.

Those who are past or present members of the Navy will surely appreciate this “Anchors Away Bouquet” from Veldkamp’s Flowers. Red miniature carnations, yellow button spray chrysanthemums and white daisy spray chrysanthemums are accented with assorted greenery in this nautical themed arrangement.

This “Lotsa Love” bouquet is a great way to say thank you to anyone who has ever served in the armed forces. Featuring a star-shaped felt pick with the uplifting message “You’re The Best!”, this cheerful arrangement is hand-designed to put a smile on anyones face. Arriving with an adorable plush bear and a bag of delicious candy treats, it’s a great way to say thank you to all the men and women who have served for our freedom.

Chrysanthemums are the national flower of Japan and the flower of the month for November in the United States. These beautiful flowers are one of the easiest to grow and maintain plants and they are not only pretty to look at, they are also extremely therapeutic! Available in over 30 different species, both annuals and perennials, chrysanthemums can be planted and grown in almost any season and with their wide array of uses there’s almost no excuse to go plant some mums today!

Therapeutic Uses of Chrysanthemum Flowers

The chrysanthemum is a plant that originally got its name from the Greek words for “gold” and “flower.” The “gold” in the chrysanthemum came from the mystical healing powers this colorful flower possessed. Today people use chrysanthemums to make various forms of medicine.

In traditional medicine, chrysanthemum has been used to treat chest pain, high blood pressure, diabetes, headaches, dizziness, and more. The flower has the ability to increase blood flow to the heart and has also been found to increase a person’s sensitivity to insulin.

Chrysanthemum tea is a popular drink used to heal the body. This therapeutic tea is a great aid to digestion, is helpful at relieving nausea, can clear up colds, and can lower fevers.

New research is showing that the flavonoid acacetin that is present in chrysanthemums may actually be able to fight prostate cancer- helping stop the cancer cells from growing.

With it’s many benefits, it seems silly not to go plant a field of chrysanthemums right now, but if you don’t have the time to build your own garden Veldkamp’s Flowers has you covered with a wide assortment of beautiful chrysanthemum arrangements.

This “Autumn Treasures” arrangement from Veldkamp’s Florist is a great choice to light up any room this November! Brilliant orange roses and orange mini carnations are accented with burgundy chrysanthemums and lush greens arranged to perfection in a classic clear glass vase to create a warm and dazzling way to decorate your home AND improve your health!

Show your Halloween spirit by decorating your home, or taking spooky Halloween floral arrangements to those Halloween parties as a gift for your host. Allow the creepy and frightening decorations to ward off evil spirits or keep the ghosts of departed away. Celtic Pagan Hallowmas traditions involved wearing costumes to trick the ghosts or evil spirits of the recently deceased people in the community.

Bad to the Bones Cupcake arrangement is a scull-shaped mass of white carnations, adorned by green moss, neatly nestled in a red cupcake container. Whether you send it to someone for fun, or add it to your holiday Halloween party décor, this little guy will scare up a bunch of laughs from all who see him.

Create that frightening witches scream that Is reminiscent of the Wicked Witch of the West from the Wizard of Oz with this Bewitching Halloween Flower Cake. The very bewitching witch is made of green poms, and she’s perched on a cake of orange carnations. Bewitch your house guests, or a special recipient with this unique, but dazzling cake shaped arrangement.

Boo-tiful Bats Halloween Bouquet is a whimsical arrangement of fall-colored flowers adorned with decorative bats flying over a decorative full moon. The ancient Celts or Gaels from whom we got the Halloween tradition in the first place, believed that bats would ward off the evil spirits and ghosts of recently deceased people. Bats offered protection, so you can protect your workplace, or protect loved ones – or even your own home from any evil spirits or ghosts who may come to trick-or-treat.

The Spooky Surprise Halloween Bouquet is the essence of fall with deep orange carnations and roses, all neatly arranged in a ceramic pumpkin, topped by a decorative ghost is sure to scare those evil spirits away. Set it at the front office to protect your co-workers, or at the entry to your house, where it will spook out anyone who come to trick-or-treat!

Capture the sense of a haunted garden graveyard anywhere with the Ghostly Gardens Halloween Bouquet. Each bouquet uses the freshest available flowers in autumn colors, arranged in a black glass vase, complete with sprigs of fall leaves and a ghost and creepy insect who hover over the RIP grave stone.

Send that special someone a happy and creepy Halloween with the Spooky Sweet Halloween Bouquet, a lush arrangement filled with the freshest orange and green flowers, creating a gorgeous mass above the black glass vase. A creepy, but adorable big black spider gives this gorgeous bouquet a spooky touch.