Harvest season brings a reason to pause and give thanks. Near the end of November, we offer thanksgiving for the bounty we enjoy.

Workers at Pioneer Drugstore on 1428 Center Avenue in Dos Palos, include a seasonal boutique. The staff take great pride in stocking items that do not break a budget. Their goal is to help locals decorate and enjoy seasonal extras while living within their means.

Many items for the home include fall colors and symbols. Pick up household decorations that express thanks and gratitude. Standalone plaques and wall hangings remind family and visitors that giving thanks is important. Other decorations express good wishes, such as “Happy Fall Y’all” or simply “Gather” written in a three-dimensional script.

Decorative pumpkins in glass and ceramic cans sit on a shelf or can be added to a centerpiece. Seasonal mugs come decorated with fall colors. An old farm truck design filled with sunflowers expresses “Loads of Blessings.” A cup with a pumpkin design bid “Good Morning.”

Garden stakes and door wreaths greet guests and add a festive touch to the neighborhood. Choose a vertical door hanging made with ribbon in fall colors, straws and leaves.

Pioneer Drug patrons can get a variety of disposable and replaceable seasonal needs. Pick up a turkey baster for only a dollar. Thanksgiving tablecloths and paper cups make clean up easier. Wide ribbon in fall colors is useful for DYI decorations.

The drugstore carries catalytic fragrant lamp oil in fall scents. A catalytic fragrance lamp is a cross between a warmer and a lamp. The medium for the scented oil is about 90 percent isopropyl alcohol.

A wick submerged in a decorative container that resembles a vase soaks up fragrance. Heat helps diffuse the aroma without an open flame or need for electricity.

With a catalytic fragrance lamp, the top of the wick is lighted burns for only a few minutes. The extinguished wick is secured in a metal topper that stays warm for an extended time and slowly releases the oil aroma without the danger of a flame.

Of course, such a fragrance lamp requires an ongoing supply of scented lamp oil easily obtained at Pioneer Drug. Cinnamon Spice and Apple Spice are fragrances for this season. Gourmet Vanilla is appropriate throughout the year.

Pioneer Drug has other items for adding fall fragrance to the home. Scented melting wax is used in a wax warmer. Often powered by electricity, these can be set up in a safe location. Wooded Path, Hot Apple Pie, and Mulberry Plum add fragrances to a closed-up wintertime home.

For those without a warming apparatus, Pioneer Drug offers scented candles. Smoke Odor Eliminator and Fresh Lemon candles purify the air after using a fireplace. Fresh Apple Pie, Vanilla with Apple Cinnamon and Pumpkin Patch are seasonal candle fragrances.

Many of us have family and friends who are far away. Remember them with a Thanksgiving card purchased at the local drugstore. For friends or family locally, consider starting a Giving Plate with a poem about ongoing giving. Fill the plate with yummy treats. The receiver refills the plate and passes it on to another person.

Some locals may be surprised that Pioneer Drug carries flavored and therapeutic teas. Relaxing with a cup of hot tea after a big meal with visitors is a wonderful way to end Thanksgiving Day. Reject the stress of Black Friday and simply enjoy the time with a hot beverage.

Notice the Drop Box at the entrance to Pioneer Drug. It has the mailing address, phone number, and email for The Westside Express. This makes it easy to contact the paper or subscribe.

Janet Miller

Janet Miller is a freelance writer specializing in family faith. She offers Family Prayers and Activities: Weekly Guides on compact disc for families to explore the Bible together. Email jmiller@dospalos.org.