ALT-2 Tips for Hosting a Thanksgiving Dinner Party
Thanksgiving is a special time of the year for many people. It is a time for gathering with extended families, close friends and loved ones. Because everything having to do with this holiday revolves around food, hosting a dinner party can be an enormous undertaking. For a well organized person, however, it doesn't have to turn into such an ordeal that the host doesn't have time to spend with the guests.
Begin your organizing by creating a list of everything that will go into the party. Start with the guest list and then proceed to the menu. Create a check list to help yourself keep track of what you've done and what still must be done. If you work off that list systematically, you will be efficient at getting things done, and you can prevent yourself from getting overwhelmed because there is too much to do at once.Here are some tips that can help anyone who is hosting or helping host a Thanksgiving dinner party avoid disaster and alleviate a lot of stress.PLAN FAR IN ADVANCE -In some families, there is a tradition that Thanksgiving is always held at a certain family member's home, and they are responsible for preparing the dinner. For other people, it can be a more communal type of affair. The type of affair doesn't necessarily matter. What does matter is that the planning start well enough in advance. Several months before your party start planning specifics.*Who do you want to invite?
- Decide on the menu.
Decide exactly what you will be serving. Things like wine or beverages can be decided on later. Also decide whether or not you'll be asking your guests to contribute a dish. That makes the party much easier for those who host it.
- Who will be doing the preparations?DON'T LEAVE SHOPPING UNTIL THE END -It is important that you don't leave all of your shopping until the end. As soon as you've planned your menu, you can start stocking up on things you will need. Make a list of all of the ingredients you will need, and purchase those ingredients a bit at a time so the bill isn't so high at one time. You may need things like flour, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, vanilla, and other baking goods. Be sure you have those on hand.If you intend to use canned cranberries, consider buying those well in advance. If you plan to use frozen rolls, purchase those ahead of time. You can buy nuts for a pecan pie, the ingredients for mince meat, if you intend to make that kind of pie. You can also buy canned pumpkin well in advance.
ORDER YOUR TURKEY, HAM OR ANY OTHER MEAT -Many people don't stop to think that it might be a good idea to order your turkey. If you do, you can be sure to get a fresh one rather than a frozen one. You can also get the size you want and not have to worry about whether or not the store will have one. If you plan to serve a ham or something else, order that ahead of time as well.CONFIRM THINGS WITH GUESTS -Make sure that you confirm things with your guests in plenty of time. You will need to know how much food you need to purchase, how many places to set, whether there will be children who need to have some food substitutions. If your guests are supposed to contribute something to the meal, arrange that well in advance, too. It is probably a good idea to call your guests the week before Thanksgiving or early Thanksgiving week, just to make sure that they are still bringing whatever they initially said they'd bring.COOK IN ADVANCE -There are some things that can be prepared well in advance, and they will be better for it. If you make a home made cranberry sauce, you can make that ahead of time. Make it early during the week of Thanksgiving. Pies can be made the day before Thanksgiving, and so can bread. Depending on the type of potato dish you're serving, that may be able to be made in advance as well.PREPARING THE TABLE -Rather than leaving the entire table set up until Thanksgiving Day, lay the linens out the day or night before. Get the dishes and silverware out so that it's easy to set the table in the morning.If you are having a sit down dinner, you can go ahead and set it the night before. If you plan to have a centerpiece or table decorations, you can set those up too.
If you've purchased flowers, cut the ends off the stems the night before. Put them in some flora-life and water mixture. If you want to prevent the flowers from opening too soon, put them in the refrigerator until Thanksgiving morning.CREATE A SCHEDULE -A schedule will help you keep yourself on track. It will also allow you to know what needs to be done when so that the entire meal will be ready to serve at the same time. If you lack sufficient oven space, it may be necessary to cook the dressing the night before and then reheat it before serving it. If you lack sufficient oven space for warming things, consider getting (renting, if necessary,) some warming trays.PLAN AHEAD FOR LEFTOVERS -It is important to plan for your leftovers ahead of time. Make sure that if you are the one who is keeping the majority of leftovers, that you have plenty of refrigerator space to keep the food. If people are going to be taking food home, either ask them to bring containers or make sure that you have enough containers to deal with this.ALLOW SOME R & R TIME FOR YOURSELF -Preparing and planning a big party like a Thanksgiving Dinner is exhausting, especially for those who are doing all or most of the work. Make sure your scheduling allows you to have some time to relax before your guests arrive. It doesn't matter whether that down time is used for a nap, a shower, or just to visit with your family. It's important to be able to relax a bit so that you can enjoy the guests.A well planned event will allow all of the people hosting it to spend time visiting with their guests. This is very important; if the hosts can't be there for their guests, then the party won't be much of a party. Be sure to tell your guests the exact time you want them to arrive. It will help if you also advise them of the time at which you intend to serve dinner. If people like to watch football on Thanksgiving Day, then plan the dinner so that those who want to watch football will be free to do so after dinner. Don't be shy about asking people to help clear the table or do little things to help you clean up.
