The Garlic Tree celebrates Thanksgiving

It's fair to say that it has been a turbulent few days in Restaurant Story. Black Friday was the mother of all anticlimaxes, with only six items offered up and little to provide any cheer for the players.

But that doesn't mean we couldn't celebrate Thanksgiving! I may not be from the US, but that hasn't stopped me from paying homage to this US holiday. I've sacrificed part of my outdoor area to house a cosy family feast:

Thanksgiving feast section of The Garlic Tree

At the centre of this section is the Thanksgiving Feast which was a goal prize in last year's Autumn goals. I know there have been a lot of dining based decorations of this format, but this one is quality in my opinion. There's a really happy feel to it, stemming from the smiling faces and tasty food. The basket of flowers is also really nice, and the wreathed chairs make for an excellent match with the Fall Dividers I have used to flank the zone.

The Thanksgiving Display and Pumpkin Topiary on show are also goal prizes, both from 2012. Their broad range of warm colours give for a really homely atmosphere, and they work seamlessly with the Pinecone Vase and Wall Flowers. Meanwhile the Carving Station has proven a really shrewd choice - it was part of the rotisserie update back in March, but turns out to be the perfect item for depicting a Thanksgiving dinner.

Then for dessert there's a range of pies from the Pie Table. Usually this 2x2 decoration is positioned in my kitchen section, but I felt it was ideal for this area, and so had Action Chef Lee bring it over! I don't think all the pies are of the pudding variety, so feel free to have an extra course if you've got any room left! Indeed if you're seriously hungry you could try a bite of one of the Rustic Apples. That's not recommended though!

The Autumn Welcome Mat is also displayed here, and like the Pie Table is making a rare appearance elsewhere in my restaurant. Usually it has the vital role of blocking the kitchen door, but there's no need to worry about the bots disturbing the kitchen staff:

      Kitchen door with Solstice Stool in use as a blocker

As you can see there is a Solstice Stool has been slyly placed in front of the door to prevent any unwanted visitors. By positioning the Classic Chef just right, I've been able to completely hide the stool, making it appear that this door is just not very popular. The Solstice Stool was the smallest item I could find, and has allowed me to beat the game's natural mechanics!

Back to the feast, and I had a tough decision to make with regards to the floor. There are a fair few dark tiles which looked good when placed, such as the Hardwood, Sandy Brick and Autumn Slate. But in the end I opted to invest in a flooring I'd not used before - the French Tile has an elegance to it which completes the sophisticated aura I was striving for. Some rugged 'Autumnness' is retained courtesy of the Log Cabin wallpaper, but overall I'm really happy with the finished product.

The last of my Autumn decorating can be found outside of the Thanksgiving section, where there's a harsh wind blowing:

Outdoor section of The Garlic Tree

There's not actually much difference between this version of my outdoor area and the one I had throughout September and October, but the Leaves floor tile has changed the ambience substantially. Previously I had just used the Summer Grass flooring, but it was a little too plain and tidy for the season. Now there's a cluttered appearance which is just what you want from an Autumn scene. I've mentioned it a few times, but the Leaves flooring really has proven to be one of the great new floor tiles!

I combined the Maple Bench and Leaf Pile last year since both have a similar design of leaves, and decided to do similar this time round as well. The French Lantern is thrown in too as a symbol of the shortening days.

On the other side of the Stepping Stone path it's pumpkins which are the order of the day. The Pumpkin Stools are scattered around a Wagon of Pumpkins. This wagon was another of the goal prizes in 2012 (that was a great set of goals!) and has been a stalwart of my Autumn decorating throughout the years. I love how it's really packed out with stuff, be it pumpkins, sunflowers or wild flowers.

 The Garlic Tree celebrates...

 01/11/15 Halloween 2015
 05/10/15 Autumn 2015
 08/09/15 Summer 2015

Finally the Vegetable Display consists of baskets of tasty veggies on a park bench. I could be wrong but it looks like one of those baskets may contain Brussels sprouts - getting ready for Christmas already?!

And on that note, it's almost time for me to tear down my current décor and unpackage the bells and baubles that signal that Santa is filling his sleigh. With Advent calendars getting their first action tomorrow, Christmas is closer than I realised! I've not got any solid plans in place for the festive season as of yet, but with so many gems still in situ, I may well spend liberally this year!