serving dishes, cloth table cloth, candles, centerpiece, and even bread and butter plates. i think these are part of what make a meal special.
when the kids were little, i would tape a huge sheet of drawing paper to the refrigerator door, around the first of november. all month long, everyone would write or draw things they were thankful for. guests were encouraged to participate too. by thanksgiving, we had quite a work of art, and we were reminded to be thankful everyday, rather than just one.
this one from my childhood. my grandmother's family was from cape cod. one tradition i remember as a wee girl (this was both thanksgiving and 