Thanksgiving
Price range: $99.99 through $119.99
A Thanksgiving turkey, pilgrim hat and pumpkin silhouette hung from a steel branch, laser cut from 1/8-inch steel, with a built-in spike that taps into a tree trunk or sturdy wooden post with a hammer. Choose Raw Steel, which arrives bare and rusts naturally outdoors to a warm brown patina with no paint or upkeep, or Black Powder Coat, the same piece finished in black. Cut to order in our shop in Texas and shipped free anywhere in the US.
- 30-day returns
- Damaged or wrong item replaced or refunded
Gallery includes raw-steel and black-finish reference images. Some images are created or edited with AI-assisted tools.
Read the full story ↓One woman wrote letters for thirty-six years to make this a holiday.
Sarah Josepha Hale edited the most widely read magazine in America and used it, year after year, to argue that the country ought to have a national day of thanksgiving. She wrote to governors. She wrote to five presidents. Four of them did nothing. In 1863, with the war on, Lincoln read her letter and issued the proclamation. She was seventy-four.
She also wrote "Mary Had a Little Lamb," which is the thing most people know her for, if they know her at all.
The date has been moved since. In 1939 Roosevelt pushed it a week early to stretch the Christmas shopping season, half the states refused to go along, and for two years the country kept two different Thanksgivings before Congress settled it on the fourth Thursday.
As for the hat — the buckle is an invention. The Pilgrims wore no such thing; buckled hats came into fashion generations later, and the image we all carry around comes from nineteenth-century illustrators who thought it looked properly old-fashioned. We cut ours with the buckle anyway. Some pictures belong to everybody now, whether or not they ever happened.
The turkey beside it is a better story: down to perhaps thirty thousand birds in the whole country a century ago, and back in the millions today.
Also Perfect For
- A hostess gift for whoever is cooking Thanksgiving dinner this year
- Fall porch and harvest decorating from October on
- Housewarming gifts for a first Thanksgiving in a new home
- Farmhouse and rustic yards
- Gifts for Mom or Grandma, who has hosted every year
Where It Looks Best
Set it where people come in — the tree at the drive, the porch post, over the door. It looks right through the whole gray end of November.
Details
- Design: A turkey, a buckled hat and a pumpkin hung from a cut steel branch
- Material: 1/8-inch steel
- Finish: Choose Raw Steel (arrives bare, rusts naturally outdoors) or Black Powder Coat
- Made in Texas: Laser cut from American steel in our family-owned shop
How to Set It
1. Pick a tree trunk, or a sturdy wooden post — the side facing the walk or the window.
2. Hold the spike at a slight downward angle against the wood, pendants hanging free.
3. Tap the end of the branch with a hammer or mallet (a scrap of wood between protects the steel) until the piece holds firm.
No drilling, no screws, no other tools.
The Finish
Pick your finish from the Finish menu on this listing.
Raw Steel (Rusts Naturally): Your piece arrives as bare, raw steel — a clean steel gray. Outdoors, rain and dew turn it a warm rust brown, usually over the first few weeks, and the color keeps deepening with the weather. There is no paint or coating, so there is nothing to peel, fade or touch up. While the rust is forming, rust-colored runoff can mark pale stone, concrete or siding directly below it, so set it over wood, soil or mulch. Prefer the bare steel look? Keep it indoors or out of the rain.
Black Powder Coat: the same steel piece, powder coated in black. It arrives black rather than bare, does not develop the rust patina, and leaves no rust runoff, so it can go over pale stone, concrete or siding. Wipe it clean with a damp cloth. If it ever gets chipped, a dab of black exterior metal paint touches it up.
Processing & Shipping
Cut to order in our shop in Texas. Please allow 2–4 business days before your order ships. Orders of $99.99 or more ship free within the United States; under that, shipping is a flat $14.92. We ship within the United States only.
Returns
100% satisfaction guaranteed. If you are not happy with your piece for any reason, message us within 30 days of delivery and we will make it right with a replacement or a full refund.
About Shadow Birds
Every Shadow Birds piece is cut from solid American steel and made in Texas. Browse the shop for the rest of the Seasonal & Holiday spikes, plus birds, Garden Folk and Critters.
Questions? We're Glad to Help.
Send us a message anytime. Decorating for every season, or ordering several for a family, a neighborhood or a store? Just ask — we are happy to set up larger orders.