Thanksgiving Dinner - Begin to set your table by placing a freshly ironed white table cloth. If you wish to use service plates (extra large plates used mostly for decoration and catching spills) place those first around the table, equally spaced. On top of those place the Thanksgiving dinner plates, and if you are having a soup course, place the soup dish on top of that.

The general rule for silverware is you put the ones you will use first on the outside of each setting, and you work your way in. To the right of each plate, first place the dinner knife with the blade facing the plate. On its right, place the teaspoon, and further to the right place the soup spoon. Optionally a dessert spoon may be placed horizontally above the plate, pointing to the left.

On the left, place the dessert fork nearest the plate (if there is to be one), then the dinner fork and finally, the salad fork to the left of that. The bottoms of each piece of silverware should line up with the bottom of the dinner plate.

The bread and butter plate is placed directly above the forks, with a butter spreader placed horizontally across the top of the plate, with the tip pointing to the left.

Above the plate and slightly to the right you place the water glass, with a red wine glass to the right of that and a white wine glass to the right of all.

Napkins traditionally are folded and placed to the left of the forks, but alternately you may wish to fold it and place it in the soup bowl or the water glass.