Cornu Who?

(this cornucopia photo from Telefloral)
Cornucopia!  How many people under the age of 50 know what a cornucopia is? 

We never had a Thanksgiving where we (actually it was me) didn't put a Lincoln Log built log cabin and a cornucopia filled with corn, nuts and various produce in the middle of the dining table.  I know - I was a kid and it never occurred to me they didn't match perfectly.

Cornucopia (to those who've been deprived of my childhood centerpieces) is a horn containing food, drink, etc. in endless supply said to have been from the horn of the goat Amalthaea.  Representation of this horn was a symbol of abundance or overflowing supply.  Most current models are made of some woven wicker type material.

(this photo from The Orchid Boutique)
I would take pretty fall leaves, press them in the phone book for a week and include in the display. Yes, we were simple farm folks and we held our traditions dear.

I'd scout the yard for the "fixins" of our cornucopia - often called a horn-of- plenty.  Field corn was a must.  In those days (did I really say that?) corn wasn't shelled and sold.  It was shucked and stored in corn cribs for livestock feed - easy pickings.

Pine cones guaranteed sticky stain on the "best" white table cloth.   Dried grass heads and flowers would be stuck between fruit.  Everything had to look like it was naturally tumbling out of the horn.  There were usually apples and some root vegetables available from the orchard and garden. 
(This photo is from Better Homes and Gardens)

I bought an old vintage cornucopia the other day simply for the pleasant memory of it all.   Although most of these photos show very beautiful professional examples, the simple homemade "kid-constructed" ones are often the ones memories are made from. 

I know all the elite food and home network hosts have many elaborate ideas for decorating the Thanksgiving table, sometimes the ones made around simple serve the best and are remembered the longest.  Whether you go big or homespun, loved ones make the best Thanksgiving available.
Now - where did I put those Lincoln Logs??? 

(Photo from the Lincoln Log web site)