Mayflower Power

In the first autumn harvest festival of 1621 — what is known today as Thanksgiving —50 English colonists and 90 native American Wampanoags celebrated the new colony’s first successful corn crop with a three-day fête of food and games . The Mayflower had landed in New Plymouth, Massachusetts , during a bitter December in 1620. The land was frozen and the settlers were out of food after a grueling two-month voyage. Their survival is attributed to Squanto, the English-speaking Wampanoag who taught them how to fertilize with fish.

If only those Pilgrims had known about igourmet.com .

The international emporium delivers an expansive array of gourmet foods from all around the world, with everything prepared, from soup to nuts—literally. Another way to save time on Thanksgiving prep is by ordering your groceries online. Safeway is offering free delivery with online orders of $200 or more. And if you love great wine at a great price, complete the holiday meal with a top-selling bottle from wine.com , now with one cent shipping on orders of $99 and up.

Okay, so dinner is in the bag, so to speak, but presentation is half the battle. Make sure your meal looks as good as it tastes with tastefully seasonal décor in subtle fall colors. For me, Fiesta Serveware is a perfect blend of tradition and style (and you can change colors for every holiday). Start your own Thanksgiving tradition— with a classic Art Deco twist—by picking up a few pieces in Tangerine, Evergreen, Persimmon, Cinnabar and Sunflower. Four-piece place settings are on sale at Macy’s, or buy a five-piece set and get a second one for free. Pieces are also sold separately, so you can accent your table by mixing and matching.

If you’re going visiting, any host will be delighted to receive a lovely bouquet from 1-800-flowers.com . They have a great selection of really beautiful flower arrangements, starting at $24.99 for the Autumn Glow Bouquet, now at $15 off. Other sales include 20% off Exotic Breeze Orchids (which come with Godiva chocolates!), now only $44.99. They make spectacular centerpieces for your own table, as well.

And if you’ve been hankering to watch football on your very own big-screen TV, s hop at Circuit City and save 10% on select HDTVs, when you buy online and pick up in-store . Plus, there’s no interest for 24 months on TVs $499 and up.

242 years after that first feast , Abraham Lincoln made Thanksgiving a national holiday. This year, shop smart and add big savings from BondRewards to your list of things to be thankful for!

Your city shopper,

Linda B.

P.S. We’d love to hear about your holiday adventures. If there’s a story you want to tell or a question you’d like some feedback on, please send in your comments and let’s get a dialogue going!