If you are hosting Thanksgiving this year it’s guaranteed to be more fun and run more smoothly, if you plan ahead. Today I’m going to share a few tips for Thanksgiving planning that will help you turn your Thanksgiving dinner into a fabulous event!
Menu Planning
Food at Thanksgiving is one of the most important parts of the day so start planning your menu at least a couple weeks in advance. Because food is such an important part of Thanksgiving it can also cause you the most stress and anxiety. Planning ahead will help you avoid unwanted stress and anxiety.
- Purchase everything you will need, to prepare your dishes, at least 5 days in advance. Shopping ahead will help you to avoid all the last-minute shopper crowds and it will allow you to get a head start on preparing your food.
- Prepare as much as you can before the “big day”. Anything that can be made in advance, make it a few days early: desserts, marinades, etc.
When planning your Thanksgiving menu it’s important to keep keep track of how many guests you will be serving, and whether or not any of them have food allergies. This year we are hosting 22 people at our house and because I’ve been planning ahead I can look for deals on turkeys since we have to buy 2, instead of just 1. I made this cute printable to keep track of how many will be attending your Thanksgiving, and whether or not they have allergies you need to take into consideration.
Make it an Event
I love Thanksgiving and I love parties so when I host Thanksgiving I want to make it as much of a party as possible! Making it a party isn’t hard, but it does mean making your guests feel special. When your family, and guests, arrive have cocktails, wine or mocktails ready to be served. Prepare a few appetizers for everyone to snack on while they are waiting for the turkey, gravy and other Thanksgiving goodness to finish being prepared.
Planning for Leftovers
Every good Thanksgiving has lots of leftovers. To resist the temptation to eat them all yourself, have tupperware ready for your guests to take home, or ask them to bring their own. I purchased a couple different sizes of inexpensive tupperware at Walmart, and then made labels for all my guests. This way I won’t be stuck with all the leftovers, and everyone will have delicious food to eat the next day!
If you’d like to print your own click on the link below the graphic.
Click her to print {Use Avery 5163 Shipping Labels}
These are just a few ways to make your guests feel special, and to make your Thanksgiving holiday an event to remember! Planning ahead will not only take all the stress off of you, the hostess, but it will also make the holiday more fun for everyone!
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