Thanksgiving is seven weeks away, and on Palm Beach the scramble for a table starts Monday. The Breakers opens its Thanksgiving dining reservations on Monday, October 12, with December holiday dining following on Monday, November 2. For anyone who wants turkey in the Ponce de Leon Ballroom, or a steak at Flagler Steakhouse with the family, those are the two dates that matter.

Where to eat on Thanksgiving, and what it costs

The resort is running three very different Thanksgiving tables on November 26.

Flagler Steakhouse serves a three-course prix fixe from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., at $245 per person and $100 for children 12 and under. Reservations are at 561-659-8471.

Henry's Palm Beach, the resort's American brasserie, is the most relaxed and least expensive option, serving from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. with holiday specials alongside its regular menu. A traditional turkey dinner is $75 for adults and $25 for kids. Reservations are at 561-206-1896.

The Ponce de Leon Ballroom hosts the big buffet from 2 to 6 p.m., at $295 per person and $100 for children 4 to 12. It is the grand room most people picture when they think of a Breakers holiday, and it is the one that tends to fill first.

The overnight transformation

The other reason people circle the resort in late November is the decorating, and the numbers behind it are larger than most visitors realize. The Breakers' in-house design studio spends roughly 11 months planning the holiday look. The install itself begins at 11 p.m. on Thanksgiving night and runs around the clock for five days.

When it is done, soft white lights wrap the 100 royal palms and Canary Island date palms that line the resort's 1,040-foot main drive. The full count runs to 170,000 twinkle lights, 8,000 ornaments, 12,000 feet of ribbon and 126 bows. In the lobby, two 18-foot evergreens share the space with four sculptural menorahs.

The practical takeaway: Thanksgiving diners see the resort in its fall clothes, and anyone who comes back from the weekend after onward sees the full holiday version. The drive up to the main entrance after dark is worth the trip on its own.

December, which books November 2

The December reservations that open November 2 cover the rest of the season. Flagler Steakhouse serves Christmas Eve from 4 to 9 p.m. and Christmas Day from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., at $245 per person and $100 for kids. The Circle hosts a Christmas Day brunch from noon to 3 p.m. with live strings and unlimited Champagne cocktails at $295, and the ballroom repeats its holiday buffet on Christmas Day from 2 to 6 p.m.

New Year's Eve runs from a $425 dinner at Flagler Steakhouse to a 21-and-over party at HMF, the resort's lounge, with a midnight balloon drop at $1,300 per person. The Circle closes the season with a New Year's Day brunch at $295.

A smaller reason to plan ahead

Between November 27 and December 31, The Breakers adds a $50 bonus for every $500 spent on gift cards, on purchases up to $2,000. The cards work across the resort and at Via Flagler by The Breakers, its dining and retail spot in West Palm Beach. Combine that with a December reservation and the bonus covers part of the bill.

Before any of that, there is Halloween. HMF is hosting a costume-encouraged party on Saturday, October 31, from 6 p.m. to midnight, with seasonal cocktails at the resort's bars through the month.

Why it matters on the island

The Breakers has been Palm Beach's front porch since Henry Flagler opened it in 1896. It is still family owned, still independent of any hotel chain, and its 140 oceanfront acres hold ten restaurants and 534 rooms. In the resort's announcement, president Tricia Taylor gave the credit for the holiday atmosphere to the staff who build it every year.

For residents, the calendar is the useful part. Monday is the day to call for Thanksgiving, November 2 is the day to call for Christmas and New Year's, and the night after Thanksgiving is when the palms on the drive start to glow.