Lawn Sculpture

• It's not uncommon to see stuffed scarecrows -- some with crows perched on their shoulders -- standing on the lawn during Thanksgiving. Some families build mannequin farmers, complete with straw hats and overalls, to lounge in a rocking chair on the front porch. Others display Pilgrim or Indian decorations, use full-size wagons filled with hay bales, or even large inflatable turkey balloons, to get into the spirit of the holiday.
  
  

Produce Decorations

• Since Thanksgiving is a celebration of in-gathering, it's appropriate to decorate with fall produce. Wreaths, centerpieces, wall or light decorations often incorporate maize, miniature pumpkins or gourds, or bundles of wheat or corn. Fruits and vegetables such as apples, mums, cranberries, fir sprigs or pine cones can be displayed in a bushel basket or a cornucopia. Clear canning jars filled with candles can serve as party lights or walkway illumination.
  
  

Leaves

• Brightly-colored leaves can be used in garlands or wreaths for your door or mailbox. The Thanksgiving World website suggests that they can be piled around a lamp post that's also decorated with a corn stalk. They can be displayed as dozens of bright "bouquets" in terra cotta pots scattered around the front porch, or atop a hay bale or in a wheelbarrow, as a decorative accent.
  
  

Outdoor Dinner

• If the weather's projected to be fair and mild, have your Thanksgiving feast outdoors amidst the beauty of the turning leaves. Line the walkway from your patio door to the table with hay bales or cornstalk bundles. Cover the picnic table with a festive plastic tablecloth and put out candles and a fall wreath as a festive centerpiece. Alternatively, you could put a slender branch into a vase and give each guest paper "leaves" on which to write things that they're thankful for. When they're finished, instruct them to clip the leaves onto the branch with clothespins to create a "Thanksgiving tree."