Setting the Thanksgiving table

(WTNH) - Thanksgiving is just a few days away. You can make your dinner table warm and welcoming with a few simple decorating touches that cost next-to-nothing. Party planner and decorator Christian O'Dowd from The Cantering Caterer joined us with some tips.

O'Dowd suggests an eclectic look, with a mix of elements. He says creating this type of 'ambiance' can be done on a budget with a mix of new and old items, like odd candles you've got around the home. He even suggests renting plates and flatware.

For place settings, O'Dowd recommends writing a personalized note on a wine glass. He also recommends involving the children in the place setting process. For example, you can have them create place cards. You can use a big piece of butcher paper as their 'table cloth' and give them some crayons to decorate it.

O'Dowd showed us a seasonal centerpiece created with seasonal flowers and vegetables in a wooden wine crate. Even the food itself can be a decoration. He hollowed out a pumpkin to serve root vegetables.

O'Dowd says you can keep simple and inexpensive. The trick is not to 'over-think' the holiday.