Decorating Home and Table for Thanksgiving

ALTHOUGH you might thinkThanksgiving decorations are hidingbehind the plastic pine trees, red and greenfelt and Christmas lights now flooding thecountry’s stores, such is not the case.To decorate your house or dinner tablefor Thanksgiving in Costa Rica, you willhave to get creative.The only store The Tico Times couldfind that sells decorative items specificallydesigned for Thanksgiving is Hallmark.The store’s locations at both Multiplazamalls, in the western suburb of Escazú andin Curridabat, east of San José, sellThanksgiving plastic plates and cutlery,napkins and paper turkey centerpiecesevery November, according to HallmarkMultiplaza Escazú manager Luis Avila.For more information, call 201-6200.FLORISTERÍA Sol Naciente, whichspecializes in gardening gift items indowntown Escazú, does not sell Thanksgivingdecorations per se; however, amongits silk flowers, chandeliers, paint sets andOriental fabrics, shoppers should find decorationsthey can put together themselves.According to Marketing ManagerRocío Ramírez, the store, which celebratedits 20th anniversary this year, attracts plentyof North Americans and sells articles inbulk or individually.“Many North Americans come hereand shop for materials to put (decorations)together themselves,” she said.In addition to seeds, bulbs and gardeningadvice, Sol Naciente offers dinner tabledecorations such as vases and candles. Thestore is located 25 meters east of the downtownEscazú Shell gas station. For moreinformation, call 289-8787.AT Cemaco, a home furnishings storewith several locations around San José,shoppers will find everything they need todress their tables, cook and serve theirThanksgiving meals, with prices rangingfrom comfortable to exorbitant, dependingon the quality and brand name of the articlesthey choose.For those seeking a reason to buy somenew china, Thanksgiving may be it.Cemaco carries four- to eight-person setsthat include dinner and salad plates, soupbowls and tea sets, among other pieces, incolors or with gold or silver filigree.The store also offers imported cutlery,goblets, colorful centerpieces and homedecorations, as well as tablecloths in a varietyof colors, patterns and prices to fit four totwelve-person round or square tables.In the cooking department, Cemacohas electric carving knives, as well as awide selection of cooking and bakingaccessories that might help make tedious,behind-the-scenes Thanksgiving dinnerpreparations more enjoyable.