Thanksgiving
Printable Thanksgiving place cards
Place cards look like a small thing, and they do a lot of quiet work. They tell people where to sit, they keep a tight table from turning into a negotiation, and they give you a chance to separate two relatives who should not share a gravy boat. You can write them the night before, after the last RSVP, and set them out when you lay the silverware.
The Thanksgiving place cards are folded tent cards with autumn leaves, in three styles: Give Thanks, Grateful & Blessed, and Thankful for You. They fold to 3.5 by 2 inches, four cards to a page, twelve in a set, with cut and fold guides on every page. Write the names by hand. Print as many pages as you need.
How to make them
Print on white cardstock, 65 to 110 lb. Everyday paper folds, but it slumps next to a water glass. Print at 100% / “Actual size,” not “fit to page,” or the fold line will not land in the middle and the cards will be short. Cut along the guides, fold in half, and crease with the back of a spoon if you want a sharper edge. Write the name on both sides if the table is wide enough that people walk around it; one side is enough on a narrow table where everyone approaches from the same direction.
Write names the way people are actually called, not the name on a formal invitation if that is not what anyone says out loud. A first name is enough at a family table. Add a last name if you have two cousins with the same first name, or at a Friendsgiving where not everyone has met.
Seating, without a spreadsheet
If the room is simple, you can set the cards as you think about the meal: kids toward one end, someone who will help with serving closer to the kitchen, a guest who does not know many people next to a talker. If the table is large or the mix is complicated, the Thanksgiving dinner planner includes a seating chart for a long table and a round one, along with a guest list that has room for who is bringing what and any allergies. Sketch the chart first, then write the cards.
Leave a couple of blank extras uncut in the file, and print two or three spares already cut. Plus-ones and a last-minute chair happen every year. Holiday menu cards can sit at a place setting or on a buffet; the download has a Thanksgiving menu template you fill in by hand, printed at 4 by 9 inches.
How many to print
Count chairs, not invitations. If you have a kids’ table, print a set for that table too, even if the names are in bigger letters. The twelve-per-set layout is easy to repeat; a dinner of eight uses two pages and leaves four cards for mistakes or late additions. If you want games, bingo, place cards, menu cards and a kids’ placemat together, the Thanksgiving printable bundle includes this place-card set.
For games after the meal, there is a separate guide to printable Thanksgiving games for adults.
More guides
Printables for this
Instant download, US Letter and A4. Prices are the current shop prices.
Questions
What paper should I use for Thanksgiving place cards?
White cardstock, 65 to 110 lb. Everyday paper folds, but it slumps beside a glass. Print at 100% or Actual size so the fold line stays in the middle.
What size are the cards?
The SeasonAndSheet tent cards fold to 3.5 by 2 inches, with four cards on each page and cut and fold guides printed on the page. There are three autumn-leaf styles.
When should I write the names?
After the last RSVP, usually the night before. Count chairs, not invitations, and cut a few blanks for a plus-one or a last-minute chair.