This weekend (well Monday if you want to be exact) is Canadian Thanksgiving and I love this holiday. I’m going home to see the family and going to stuff my face with tons of yummy goodies. I can’t wait.

1946-american-standard-thanksgiving-kitchen432

For today’s post I have gathered up vintage ads with helpful tips and ideas on how to have the “perfect” Thanksgiving dinner. I have used the word “Perfect” in quotes because I’m not sure if that is actually possible for any sort of dinner BUT lets give it a try anyways.


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NOTE: If you click on any of the items featured below and they are not available, don’t fret! Hit the search button and see what else is on the websites. There are 1000’s and 1000’s of items being listed daily.


Vintage Thanksgiving Recipes & Dinner Ideas

Lets start off with a 1956 Thanksgiving Dinner Menu idea

1950s Vintage Recipe: Traditional Thanksgiving Meal from a vintage 1956 Recipe.
Source: Modern Retro Woman

The Thanksgiving Turkey

Foil Roasted Turkey will ensure you have the perfect turkey every time.

Note: I can’t be positive on this as I don’t cook but the ad sure makes it look like it does.

1940s Vintage Ad for reynolds wrap featuring a recipe for a Foil-Roasted Turkey.

I think that a “Guaranteed” Turkey means that your dinner will be…”Perfect”.

1940s Vintage Ad for Birds Eye Frosted Food featuring an article on how to have the perfect Turkey.

Instructions from Butterball on how to cook a Turkey-1956.

The Thanskgiving Sides

Stuffing…Mandatory, and this ad gives you many different kinds to try (not sure how I feel about “Oyster Stuffing” though).

vintage 1940s stuffing recipe ad from A&P featuring various stuffing recipes you can make for Thanksgiving.
Source: Found on vintage-ads.livejournal

Did you purchase too many Cranberries? Well don’t fret Ocean Spray has you covered.

Ocean Spray Vintage Cranberry ad for Thanksgiving featuring recipes for desserts you can make with Cranberries.

Kids can help as well with the trimmings for Thanksgiving.

A vintage children's book featuring vintage thanksgiving recipes for trimmings for the turkey and a pumpkin pie recipe.
Source: Ismoyo vintage playground

The Drinks

Of course Coca Cola must be served at dinner. No recipe needed for this task.

1940s vintage coca cola ad featuring an illustration of poeple enjoying a thanksgiving party while drink coke.
Source: Flickr-Christian Montone

Maybe your more in the mood for a beer because “Beer Belongs”.

1940s vitnage ad for beer to be served with your Thanksgiving Turkey. Vintage illustration of a family sitting around the  thanksgiving dinner table.
Source: Auto Straddle

Whisky also has a place at the Thanksgiving table.

Vintage Seagrams Whiskey Ad-Enjoy Seagram's with your Thanksgiving dinner.
Source: Observ

Thanksgiving Dinner Dessert

Traditional Pumpkin Pie recipe using Carnation milk.

FURTHER READING: Vintage Cake Ideas As Seen Thru 1920s-1950s Ads

vintage 1950s pumpkin pie ad for Carnation milk featuring a recipe for 'Carnation Famous pumpkin pie".
Source: Flickr-vieilles_annonces

1952 Carnation Evaporated Milk Ad – Pumpkin Pie

Further Reading: Vintage Recipes from 1940s & 1950s Carnation Milk Advertisements

1952 Carnation Evaporated Milk Ad - Pumpkin Pie recipe.

Source: Etsy

Non-Traditional Pumpkin Pie -Coconut Pumpkin Chiffon Pie! My stomach just growled while looking at this.

Vintage Ad for Coconut Pumpkin Chiffon Pie perfect for Thanksgiving dessert. Features a vintage recipe on how to make it.

Not a pumpkin pie fan? Don’t fret here are a other dessert ideas for the table…..

1950s (1952) Vintage Ad for Spry Shortening featuring “Aunt Jenny’s Crumbly Top Apple Pie”.

1950s Vintage Ad for Spry Shortening, Thanksgiving Ad with Apple Pie Recipe, Original Magazine Advertisement, 1952
1950s Vintage Ad for Spry Shortening, Thanksgiving Ad with Apple Pie Recipe, Original Magazine Advertisement, 1952

Source: Etsy

Make Thanksgiving desserts with Baker’s Chocolate featuring a recipe for Individual chocolate souffles and college fudge bars.

Vintage Bakers Chocolate ad-Make Thanksgiving desserts with Baker's Chocolate featuring a recipe for Individual chocolate souffles and college fudge bars.

Did you say marshmallows? I’m in! “Campfire marshmallows give added flavor to Thanksgiving dishes”.

vintage ad for marshmallow dessert-Campfire Apple Mallows, Campfire Fudge Cake, Sweet Potatoes Southern.
Source: Observ

Really really can’t cook? Well Swifts Premium will save the dinner!

Vintage Turkey Ad from 1960s for a turkey loaf.
Source: Flickr-PROFile Photo Digital Archive

Or you can enjoy a good old TV Dinner that involves even less work.

vintage TV dinner ad for Turkey dinner on a tray.
Source: Creative Pro

And of course we have to have ideas on what to do with the leftovers. You can make a Holiday Turkey salad or a turkey layer loaf. 1948 vintage ad.

1940s vintage ad featuring recipes on what to do with leftovers from Thanksgiving dinner. Ad is from 1948.
Source: Click America

“How to liven up the day after the holiday, too!”. Turkey sandwich leftover.

Vintage-Thanksgiving-Coke-Ad
Source: Pdxretro

Happy Thanksgiving Friends! And if you are using a vintage recipe for your festivities I would love to hear what it is.

Further Reading:

Liz 🙂

8 Comments on Vintage Tips for a “Perfect” Thanksgiving Dinner

  1. Three giant cheers for this fabulously festive post!!! I’m a huge fan of Thanksgiving and really like that we get to enjoy it so early in the fall. A lot of my recipes are decades old, be they handed down from relatives or sourced from vintage cookbooks/magazines. Holidays like this just call for classics (most of the time at least) for me personally and the fact that so many of our beloved holiday foods are decades, if not centuries old, always had an extra lovely depth to this special day for me as well.

    Have a truly joyful Thanksgiving, my dear friend!

    ♥ Jessica

    • Happy Happy Thanksgiving weekend Jessica! I cannot wait to read all about your festivities which I’m sure are going to be fantastic 🙂

      We have some old family recipes we pull out at this time of the year too (mostly yummy desserts) and like you I agree that they extra something “extra special” to the day.

      Enjoy!

      Liz 🙂

  2. You know how much I love these, especially anything Coke and that first ad. So fun! I didn’t realize your Thanksgiving is so soon. It’s still so hot in Texas, I can’t fathom a Thanksgiving meal. Although I think I’d eat and drink everything in this post.

    • It’s sadly not hot here 🙁 But I actually like having Thanksgiving in October, gives time for me to lose the weight I’m going to pack on before the holiday season begins lol!

      Have a super weekend even if it’s not Thanksgiving in the US.

      Liz

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